An arbitrary order numerical framework for transient heat conduction problems

•A novel numerical framework is developed for transient heat conduction problems.•The present method is of arbitrary order of accuracy in both space and time.•The developed method allows for the utilization of large time step sizes.•The present method exhibits high stability, rendering it well-suited for long-time simulations. This paper presents an arbitrary order numerical approach for achieving highly accurate solutions in transient heat conduction problems. In this framework, the arbitrary order Krylov deferred correction method (KDC) is first utilized to discretize the temporal direction of the problems, ensuring high-accuracy results by selecting an adequate number of Gaussian nodes. During each time iteration, a boundary value problem in terms of the inhomogeneous modified Helmholtz equation is generated by utilizing the KDC methodology. Subsequently, the arbitrary order GFDM is introduced to solve the boundary value problem, allowing for flexible selection of the Taylor series expansion order to improve spatial accuracy. Consequently, the present numerical framework is of arbitrary order of accuracy and very stable through integrating advantages of the arbitrary order KDC and the arbitrary order GFDM. The developed numerical framework is ultimately verified for its characteristic of high accuracy and stability through two numerical examples in two-dimensions and three numerical examples in three-dimensions. The results highlight the significant improvement in numerical accuracy achieved by the present arbitrary-order numerical approach for long-time simulations.