Abstract
A new Petrov–Galerkin method to deal with convection–diffusion problems is presented. The formulation is derived from the concept of using a modifying function to make the differential operator self‐adjoint. The so‐called ‘optimal upwind’ parameter (α) arises naturally from the process of approximating the modifying function. Transient and steady‐state examples on uniform and non‐uniform meshes are shown.