LAUSR

To improve the accuracy for solving the ion-flow field problem, an adaptive refinement method based on the streamline upwind Petrov–Galerkin (SUPG) formula is proposed. The error transport equation has been decomposed to a series of local boundary value problems and solved by the method of local characteristic. An equidistributional strategy is applied to steer the refinement. Numerical examples show that the results using the grid generated by the proposed method are more accurate and efficient than the ones with the regular refinement strategy. An example of application shows that this method is suitable for simulating the ion-flow problem with a complex geometry.