Numerical approximation for a Baer-Nunziato model of two-phase flows

We present a well-balanced numerical scheme for approximating the solution of the Baer-Nunziato model of two-phase flows by balancing the source terms and discretizing the compaction dynamics equation. First, the system is transformed into a new one of three subsystems: the first subsystem consists of the balance laws in the gas phase, the second subsystem consists of the conservation law of the mass in the solid phase and the conservation law of the momentum of the mixture, and the compaction dynamic equation is considered as the third subsystem. In the first subsystem, stationary waves are used to build up a well-balanced scheme which can capture equilibrium states. The second subsystem is of conservative form and thus can be numerically treated in a standard way. For the third subsystem, the fact that the solid velocity is constant across the solid contact suggests us to compose the technique of the Engquist-Osher scheme. We show that our scheme is capable of capturing exactly equilibrium states. Moreover, numerical tests show the convergence of approximate solutions to the exact solution.     

On a two-fluid model of two-phase compressible flows and its numerical approximation

We consider a two-fluid model of two-phase compressible flows. First, we derive several forms of the model and of the equations of state. The governing equations in all the forms contain source terms representing the exchanges of momentum and energy between the two phases. These source terms cause unstability for standard numerical schemes. Using the above forms of equations of state, we construct a stable numerical approximation for this two-fluid model. That only the source terms cause the oscillations suggests us to minimize the effects of source terms by reducing their amount. By an algebraic operator, we transform the system to a new one which contains only one source term. Then, we discretize the source term by making use of stationary solutions. We also present many numerical tests to show that while standard numerical schemes give oscillations, our scheme is stable and numerically convergent.     

Exact solutions of a two-fluid model of two-phase compressible flows with gravity

We aim at determining and computing a class of exact solutions of a two-fluid model of two-phase flows with/without gravity. The model is described by a non-hyperbolic system of balance laws whose characteristic fields may not be given explicitly, making it perhaps impossible to solve the Riemann problem. First, we investigate Riemann invariants in the linearly degenerate characteristic fields and obtain a surprising result on the corresponding contact waves of the model without gravity. Second, even when gravity is allowed, we show that smooth stationary solutions can be governed by a system of differential equations in divergence form, which determines jump relations for any stationary discontinuity wave. Using these relations, we establish a nonlinear equation for the pressure and propose a method to compute the pressure and then the equilibria resulted by a stationary wave.     

A phase decomposition approach and the Riemann problem for a model of two-phase flows

We present a phase decomposition approach to deal with the generalized Rankine–Hugoniot relations and then the Riemann problem for a model of two-phase flows. By investigating separately the jump relations for equations in conservative form in the solid phase, we show that the volume fractions can change only across contact discontinuities. Then, we prove that the generalized Rankine–Hugoniot relations are reduced to the usual form. It turns out that shock waves and rarefaction waves remain on one phase only, and the contact waves serve as a bridge between the two phases. By decomposing Riemann solutions into each phase, we show that Riemann solutions can be constructed for large initial data. Furthermore, the Riemann problem admits a unique solution for an appropriate choice of initial data.     

Eulerian and Lagrangian predictions of particulate two-phase flows: a numerical study

To predict particulate two-phase flows, two approaches are possible. One treats the fluid phase as a continuum and the particulate second phase as single particles. This approach, which predicts the particle trajectories in the fluid phase as a result of forces acting on particles, is called the Lagrangian approach. Treating the solid as some kind of continuum, and solving the appropriate continuum equations for the fluid and particle phases, is referred to as the Eulerian approach.Both approaches are discussed and their basic equations for the particle and fluid phases as well as their numerical treatment are presented. Particular attention is given to the interactions between both phases and their mathematical formulations. The resulting computer codes are discussed.The following cases are presented in detail: vertical pipe flow with various particle concentrations; and sudden expansion in a vertical pipe flow. The results show good agreement between both types of approach.The Lagrangian approach has some advantages for predicting those particulate flows in which large particle accelerations occur. It can also handle particulate two-phase flows consisting of polydispersed particle size distributions. The Eulerian approach seems to have advantages in all flow cases where high particle concentrations occur and where the high void fraction of the flow becomes a dominating flow controlling parameter.     

On the convergence of difference schemes for a heat conduction equation

Sufficient conditions are obtained for the convergence of difference schemes for the numerical solution of the Cauchy problem for a heat conduction equation in two space variables. The sufficient conditions are derived in a form similar to those for the convergence of a sequence of linear positive operators in the Korovkin theorem. As an application it is shown that difference schemes that are widely used in practice can easily be checked for convergence by these conditions.     

On the application of mixture model for two-phase flow induced corrosion in a complex pipeline configuration

This study introduces the application for the mixture model to simulate the liquid–liquid flow through complex pipeline configurations. The model is validated by comparing model predictions with published experimental data and showed reasonable agreement. The model is used to calculate the naphtha–water flow through a complex pipeline configuration with straight pipes and elbow fittings. The selected pipeline suffers from corrosion problems. The effect of different fittings on the pipeline is taken into account. The results obtained here showed that the mixture model is appropriate two-phase flow model and could be used to explain the reasons why specific locations in the pipeline suffer from corrosion problems while other locations do not suffer from these problems. These locations are predicted with good agreement with field measurements of corrosion distribution. It was concluded through this study that the mixture model can predict the two-phase flow features with reasonable accuracy and during relatively short computational time.     

A numerical model of the reacting multiphase flow in a pulp digester

This paper summarises the development, implementation and typical results from a new full-scale three-dimensional numerical model of the multiphase chemically reacting flow in a continuous digester. The model is based on continuity and momentum equations for wood chips and free liquid. A new sub-model describing the tangential stresses for the solid phase has been developed and incorporated into the digester model. The solution procedure that takes into account the high inter-phase friction terms and the high values of the solid pressure has been introduced. In order to illustrate the model’s performance, simulations have been carried on for the industrial digester. The results are in quantitative agreement with available field measurements and in qualitative agreement with operating personnel observations. The model utilises curvilinear body fitted coordinates and can be used to simulate the operation of various pulp digesters or any other chemical reactors working in a similar regime.     

Study of a pseudo-stationary state for a corrosion model: Existence and numerical approximation

In this paper, we consider a system of partial differential equations describing the pseudo-stationary state of a dense oxide layer. We investigate the question of existence of a solution to the system and we design a numerical scheme for its approximation. Numerical experiments with real-life data shows the efficiency of the method. Then, the analysis is fulfilled on a simplified model.     

Existence of a time periodic solution for the compressible Euler equation with a time periodic outer force

We are concerned with a time periodic supersonic flow through a bounded interval. This motion is described by the compressible Euler equation with a time periodic outer force. Our goal in this paper is to prove the existence of a time periodic solution. Although this is a fundamental problem for other equations, it has not been received much attention for the system of conservation laws until now.When we prove the existence of the time periodic solution, we face with two problems. One is to prove that initial data and the corresponding solutions after one period are contained in the same bounded set. To overcome this, we employ the generalized invariant region, which depends on the space variables. This enable us to investigate the behavior of solutions in detail. Second is to construct a continuous map. We apply a fixed point theorem to the map from initial data to solutions after one period. Then, the map needs to be continuous. To construct this, we introduce the modified Lax–Friedrichs scheme, which has a recurrence formula consisting of discretized approximate solutions. The formula yields the desired map. Moreover, the invariant region grantees that it maps a compact convex set to itself. In virtue of the fixed point theorem, we can prove a existence of a fixed point, which represents a time periodic solution. Finally, we apply the compensated compactness framework to prove the convergence of our approximate solutions.     

Numerical resolution for a compressible two-phase flow model based on the theory of thermodynamically compatible systems

This paper is concerned with the numerical solution of the equations governing two-phase gas-solid mixture in the framework of thermodynamically compatible systems theory. The equations constitute a non-homogeneous system of nonlinear hyperbolic conservation laws. A total variation diminishing (TVD) slope limiter centre (SLIC) numerical scheme, based on the splitting approach, is presented and applied for the solution of the initial-boundary value problem for the equations. The model equations and the numerical methods are systematically assessed through a series of numerical test cases. Strong numerical evidence shows that the model and the methods are accurate, robust and conservative. The model correctly describes the formations of shocks and rarefactions in two-phase gas-solid flow.     

The asymptotic limits of Riemann solutions for the isentropic drift-flux model of compressible two-phase flows

The formation of vacuum state and delta shock wave are observed and studied in the limits of Riemann solutions for the one-dimensional isentropic drift-flux model of compressible two-phase flows by letting the pressure in the mixture momentum equation tend to zero. It is shown that the Riemann solution containing two rarefaction waves and one contact discontinuity turns out to be the solution containing two contact discontinuities with the vacuum state between them in the limiting situation. By comparison, it is also proved rigorously in the sense of distributions that the Riemann solution containing two shock waves and one contact discontinuity converges to a delta shock wave solution under this vanishing pressure limit.     

Characteristic development of hyperbolic two-dimensional two-fluid model for gas–liquid flows with surface tension

A new hyperbolic, two-dimensional two-fluid model is developed to properly solve two-phase gas–liquid flows. Adopting the interfacial pressure jump terms in the momentum equations, the numerical stability is confirmed owing to the improvement in the mathematical property of the equation system. The derivation of the interfacial pressure jump terms is based on the infinitesimal surface-tension effect incorporated in the pressure difference at the gas–liquid interface. Through the characteristic analysis on the equation system, the eight eigenvalues are obtained analytically and they are proved real values representing phasic convective velocities and phasic sound speeds. Furthermore, the characteristic sound speeds are comparable with the earlier experimental data in excellent agreements. In addition, the eigenvectors are obtained analytically and they are shown to be linearly independent. Consequently, the governing equation system is mathematically hyperbolic with reasonable characteristic speeds by which the upwind numerical method avails. Advantage and possibility of the present model are discussed in some detail.     

Weak solutions for a diffuse interface model for two-phase flows of incompressible fluids with different densities and nonlocal free energies

We consider a diffuse interface model for the flow of two viscous incompressible Newtonian fluids with different densities in a bounded domain in two and three space dimensions and prove existence of weak solutions for it. In contrast to earlier contributions, we study a model with a singular nonlocal free energy, which controls the H^α/2-norm of the volume fraction. We show existence of weak solutions for large times with the aid of an implicit time discretization.     

Analysis of numerical schemes of a mathematical model for sickle cell depolymerization

The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss numerical schemes for a mathematical model that describes carbon monoxide mediated sickle cell polymer melting. Two Runge-Kutta methods are analyzed and shown to be unstable by calculating the first failure value of step size and displaying the bifurcation diagram of RK4. Two nonstandard finite difference (NSFD) schemes are proposed and analyzed; one is shown to be stable subject to a predictable bound on step size, while the second one is unconditionally stable.     

Global well-posedness and decay estimates of strong solutions to a two-phase model with magnetic field

In this paper, we consider the Cauchy problem for a two-phase model with magnetic field in three dimensions. The global existence and uniqueness of strong solution as well as the time decay estimates in $H^2({\mathbb{R}}^3)$ are obtained by introducing a new linearized system with respect to $(n^{\gamma }?{\stackrel{?}{n}}^{\gamma },n?\stackrel{?}{n},P?\stackrel{?}{P},u,H)$ for constants $\stackrel{?}{n}\ge 0$ and $\stackrel{?}{P}>0$, and doing some new a priori estimates in Sobolev Spaces to get the uniform upper bound of $(n?\stackrel{?}{n},n^{\gamma }?{\stackrel{?}{n}}^{\gamma })$ in $H^2({\mathbb{R}}^3)$ norm.     

Computation of axisymmetric MHD flows in a channel with an external longitudinal magnetic field

A numerical study of two-dimensional plasma flows in coaxial channels of plasma accelerators is presented. Two new results are obtained. First, for the computation of MHD problems belonging to the class under consideration, Zalesak’s method is used. It is based on an explicit finite difference scheme with flux correction. This method is free of space splitting, and, therefore, is well suited for parallel computations on multiprocessors. Second, the statement of the problem is extended so that the acceleration of the plasma by the azimuth magnetic self-field goes on in the presence of an external longitudinal field. The results of test computations demonstrate the efficiency of the method and made it possible to investigate the influence of the longitudinal field on the properties of the plasma flows.     

Analysis of and numerical schemes for a mouse population model in Hantavirus epidemics

This paper considers a non-linear system of ordinary differential equations, which arises in the study of hantavirus epidemics. The system has the property that the total population obeys the logistic equation. For this system, we use linearization and the dynamical properties of the logistic equation to analyze the dynamics of the subpopulation system. In view of the usual numerical instabilities associated with standard finite difference methods used for simulating such systems, we construct non-standard finite difference (NSFD) schemes, which preserve the dynamic properties of the system, and may therefore be used for its simulation.     

Global well-posedness of strong solutions to a two-phase model with magnetic field for large oscillations in three dimensions

In this paper, we consider Cauchy problem for a two-phase model with magnetic field in three dimensions. Under some smallness assumptions on the initial data but possibly large oscillations, we obtain the global well-posedness of strong solution as well as its large-time behavior. Compared with Wen and the first author's work [28] where global well-posedness and large time behavior of strong solutions were obtained subject to smallness of initial data in $H^2$ norm, we only need the smallness of initial energy which allows large oscillations of the initial data.