A numerical method for heat transfer problems using collocation and radial basis functions

Simple, mesh/grid free, numerical schemes for the solution of heat transfer problems are developed and validated. Unlike the mesh or grid-based methods, these schemes use well-distributed quasi-random collocation points and approximate the solution using radial basis functions. The schemes work in a similar fashion as finite differences but with random points instead of a regular grid system. This allows the computation of problems with complex-shaped boundaries in higher dimensions with no extra difficulty. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.