Contour dynamics in complex domains

Abstract

This paper demonstrates that there is a contour dynamics formulation for the evolution of uniform vortex patches in any finitely connected planar domain bounded by impenetrable walls. A general numerical scheme is presented based on this formulation. The algorithm makes use of conformal mappings and follows the evolution of a conformal pre-image of a given vortex patch in a canonical multiply connected circular pre-image region. The evolution of vortex patches can be computed given just the conformal map from this pre-image region to the physical fluid region. The efficacy of the scheme is demonstrated by illustrative examples.