On the computed pressures for Navier-Stokes problems at increasing Reynolds numbers using the penalty finite element method

It is pointed out that the reduced integration penalty finite element method has been frequently used to compute approximate velocity solutions to Navier-Stokes problems. The obtained velocity approximation can be postprocessed to derive an approximate pressure solution. The investigation of the use of continuation techniques and iterative methods for computing approximate solutions at higher Reynolds numbers is reported. An examination of the computed pressures for the driven cavity showed that the local pressure oscillations for the bilinear element diminish with an increase in the Reynolds number. For values of the Reynolds number of approximately 2000, the pressure profiles at representative sections appear smooth. Attention is given to the results obtained in the study of a cavity problem, and approximate solutions computed with the mixed method.