An extension of the immersed boundary method based on the distributed Lagrange multiplier approach

An extended formulation of the immersed boundary method, which facilitates simulation of incompressible isothermal and natural convection flows around immersed bodies and which may be applied for linear stability analysis of the flows, is presented. The Lagrangian forces and heat sources are distributed on the fluid–structure interface. The method treats pressure, the Lagrangian forces, and heat sources as distributed Lagrange multipliers, thereby implicitly providing the kinematic constraints of no-slip and the corresponding thermal boundary conditions for immersed surfaces. Extensive verification of the developed method for both isothermal and natural convection 2D flows is provided. Strategies for adapting the developed approach to realistic 3D configurations are discussed.