IMMERSED BOUNDARY METHODS FOR THERMOFLUIDS PROBLEMS

We review the progress in the development and application of immersed boundary (IB) methods to thermofluids problems achieved in the last three decades. The implementation of different heat transfer boundary conditions, ranging from Dirichlet, Neumann, and Robin to conjugate heat transfer, are discussed for continuous as well as discrete forcing immersed boundary methods. We review several key studies that developed and employed IB methods with stationary boundaries for a variety of heat transfer scenarios such as forced convection, natural or mixed convection, radiation, and combustion. The computational challenges associated with the approaches employed for thermofluids problems with moving boundaries are discussed in detail. These include problems with rigid bodies that move under the influence of fluid dynamic forces as well as flow-induced deformation of compliant bodies. We conclude the article by briefly discussing the implementation of immersed boundary methods in two emerging areas: bioheat transfer and high-speed compressible flows.