Mass,momentum and energy conserving (MaMEC) discretizations on general grids for the compressible Euler and shallow water equations

The paper explains a method by which discretizations of the continuity and momentum equations can be designed, such that they can be combined with an equation of state into a discrete energy equation. The resulting ‘MaMEC’ discretizations conserve mass, momentum as well as energy, although no explicit conservation law for the total energy is present. Essential ingredients are (i) discrete convection that leaves the discrete energy invariant, and (ii) discrete consistency between the thermodynamic terms. Of particular relevance is the way in which finite volume fluxes are related to nodal values. The method is an extension of existing methods based on skew-symmetry of discrete operators, because it allows arbitrary equations of state and a larger class of grids than earlier methods.The method is first illustrated with a one-dimensional example on a highly stretched staggered grid, in which the MaMEC method calculates qualitatively correct results and a non-skew-symmetric finite volume method becomes unstable. A further example is a two-dimensional shallow water calculation on a rectilinear grid as well as on an unstructured grid. The conservation of mass, momentum and energy is checked, and losses are found negligible up to machine accuracy.     

Well-balanced and energy stable schemes for the shallow water equations with discontinuous topography

We consider the shallow water equations with non-flat bottom topography. The smooth solutions of these equations are energy conservative, whereas weak solutions are energy stable. The equations possess interesting steady states of lake at rest as well as moving equilibrium states. We design energy conservative finite volume schemes which preserve (i) the lake at rest steady state in both one and two space dimensions, and (ii) one-dimensional moving equilibrium states. Suitable energy stable numerical diffusion operators, based on energy and equilibrium variables, are designed to preserve these two types of steady states. Several numerical experiments illustrating the robustness of the energy preserving and energy stable well-balanced schemes are presented.     

On a well-balanced high-order finite volume scheme for shallow water equations with topography and dry areas

We present a finite volume scheme for solving shallow water equations with source term due to the bottom topography. The scheme has the following properties: it is high-order accurate in smooth wet regions, it correctly solves situations where dry areas are present, and it is well-balanced. The scheme is developed within a general nonconservative framework, and it is based on hyperbolic reconstructions of states. The treatment of wet/dry fronts is carried out by solving specific nonlinear Riemann problems at the corresponding intercells.     

A finite difference scheme for fractional sub-diffusion equations on an unbounded domain using artificial boundary conditions

One-dimensional fractional anomalous sub-diffusion equations on an unbounded domain are considered in our work. Beginning with the derivation of the exact artificial boundary conditions, the original problem on an unbounded domain is converted into mainly solving an initial-boundary value problem on a finite computational domain. The main contribution of our work, as compared with the previous work, lies in the reduction of fractional differential equations on an unbounded domain by using artificial boundary conditions and construction of the corresponding finite difference scheme with the help of method of order reduction. The difficulty is the treatment of Neumann condition on the artificial boundary, which involves the time-fractional derivative operator. The stability and convergence of the scheme are proven using the discrete energy method. Two numerical examples clarify the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method.     

A primitive-variable Riemann method for solution of the shallow water equations with wetting and drying

A Riemann flux that uses primitive variables rather than conserved variables is developed for the shallow water equations with nonuniform bathymetry. This primitive-variable flux is both conservative and well behaved at zero depth. The unstructured finite-volume discretization used is suitable for highly nonuniform grids that provide resolution of complex geometries and localized flow structures. A source-term discretization is derived for nonuniform bottom that balances the discrete flux integral both for still water and in dry regions. This primitive-variable formulation is uniformly valid in wet and dry regions with embedded wetting and drying fronts. A fully nonlinear implicit scheme and both nonlinear and time-linearized explicit schemes are developed for the time integration. The implicit scheme is solved by a parallel Newton-iterative algorithm with numerically computed flux Jacobians. A concise treatment of characteristic-variable boundary conditions with source terms is also given. Computed results obtained for the one-dimensional dam break on wet and dry beds and for normal-mode oscillations in a circular parabolic basin are in very close agreement with the analytical solutions. Other results for a forced breaking wave with friction interacting with a sloped bottom demonstrate a complex wave motion with wetting, drying and multiple interacting wave fronts. Finally, a highly nonuniform, coastline-conforming unstructured grid is used to demonstrate an unsteady simulation that models an artificial coastal flooding due to a forced wave entering the Gulf of Mexico.     

A spectral element semi-Lagrangian (SESL) method for the spherical shallow water equations

A spectral element semi-Lagrangian (SESL) method for the shallow water equations on the sphere is presented. The sphere is discretized using a hexahedral grid although any grid imaginable can be used as long as it is comprised of quadrilaterals. The equations are written in Cartesian coordinates to eliminate the pole singularity which plagues the equations in spherical coordinates. In a previous paper [Int. J. Numer. Methods Fluids 35 (2001) 869] we showed how to construct an explicit Eulerian spectral element (SE) model on the sphere; we now extend this work to a semi-Lagrangian formulation. The novelty of the Lagrangian formulation presented is that the high order SE basis functions are used as the interpolation functions for evaluating the values at the Lagrangian departure points. This makes the method not only high order accurate but quite general and thus applicable to unstructured grids and portable to distributed memory computers. The equations are discretized fully implicitly in time in order to avoid having to interpolate derivatives at departure points. By incorporating the Coriolis terms into the Lagrangian derivative, the block LU decomposition of the equations results in a symmetric positive-definite pseudo-Helmholtz operator which we solve using the generalized minimum residual method (GMRES) with a fast projection method [Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Eng. 163 (1998) 193]. Results for eight test cases are presented to confirm the accuracy and stability of the method. These results show that SESL yields the same accuracy as an Eulerian spectral element semi-implicit (SESI) while allowing for time-steps 10 times as large and being up to 70% more efficient.     

A family of functions for mass and energy flux splitting of the Euler equations

Flux vector splitting algorithms for the Euler equations are based on dividing the mass, momentum and energy fluxes into a “forward directed flux” F⁺$F^{+}$ and a “backward directed flux” F^-$F^{-}$ (with F^-=0$F^{-}=0$ for Mach numbers M>1$M>1$ and F⁺=0$F^{+}=0$ for M<-1$M<-1$). van Leer (1979, 1982) 4 and 5 proposed using polynomials of the Mach number for computing F⁺$F^{+}$ and F^-$F^{-}$ in the subsonic regime, and derived the lowest order polynomials that satisfy a set of chosen criteria. In this paper, we explore the possibility of increasing the order of these polynomials, with the purpose of reducing the diffusion across slow moving contact discontinuities of the flux vector splitting algorithm. We find that a moderate reduction of the diffusion, resulting in sharper shocks and contact discontinuities, can indeed be obtained with the higher order polynomials for the split fluxes.     

Preconditioning for dual-time-stepping simulations of the shallow water equations including Coriolis and bed friction effects

Diagonal preconditioners for implicit-unsteady and steady discretizations of the shallow water equations at low- and high-Rossby and drag-number limits are analyzed. For each case, sub and supercritical flow conditions are also considered. Based on the analysis, a preconditioner is derived for use with a multigrid cycle that performs as well as possible under all conditions. In addition, a streamwise-upwind Petrov–Galerkin discretization of the system is presented that is derived from the preconditioned system. Using this discretization, it is demonstrated that for most conditions, the preconditioner gives rapid convergence that is independent of the grid resolution and the flow parameters. Practical tests including an equatorial Rossby soliton and tide propagation over variable bathymetry are simulated to demonstrate the performance of this approach.     

Lax pair,infinitely-many conservation laws and soliton solutions for a set of the time-dependent Whitham-Broer-Kaup equations for the shallow water

Under investigation in this paper is a set of the time-dependent Whitham–Broer–Kaup equations, which is used for the shallow water under the Boussinesq approximation. The equations can be transformed into generalized time-dependent coefficient Ablowitz–Kaup–Newell–Segur system via the variable transformation. Lax pair, infinitely-many conservation laws and bilinear forms of the Ablowitz–Kaup–Newell–Segur system are obtained. One-, two- and three-soliton solutions are derived via the Hirota bilinear method. The solitons are physically related to the horizontal velocity field and height that deviates from equilibrium position of the water. Features of the solitons are studied: Soliton amplitude is related to the wave number parameters, while the soliton velocity is related to the wave number parameters and variable coefficient. Interactions between/among the solitons could be elastic or inelastic, determined by the wave number parameters. Interaction property could not be affected by the variable coefficient. Soliton stability is studied via the numerical calculation, which indicates that the solitons could only propagate steadily in a limited time.     

Balanced finite volume WENO and central WENO schemes for the shallow water and the open-channel flow equations

The goal of this work is to extend finite volume WENO and central WENO schemes to the hyperbolic balance laws with geometrical source term and spatially variable flux function. In particular, we apply proposed schemes to the shallow water and the open-channel flow equations where the source term depends on the channel geometry. For obtaining stable numerical schemes that are free of spurious oscillations, it becomes crucial to use the decomposed source term evaluation, which maintains the balancing between the flux gradient and the source term. In addition, the open-channel flow equations contain spatially variable flux function. The appropriate definitions of the terms that arise in the source term decomposition, in combination with the Roe approximate Riemann solver that includes the spatial derivative of the flux function, lead to the finite volume WENO scheme that satisfies the exact conservation property – the property of preserving the quiescent flow exactly. When the central WENO schemes are applied, additional reformulations are introduced for the transition from the staggered values to the nonstaggered ones and vice versa by using the WENO reconstruction procedure. The proposed central WENO schemes also preserve the quiescent flow, but only in prismatic channels. In various test problems the obtained balanced schemes show improvements in comparison with the standard versions of the proposed type schemes, as well as with some other first- and second-order numerical schemes.     

Augmented Riemann solvers for the shallow water equations over variable topography with steady states and inundation

We present a class of augmented approximate Riemann solvers for the shallow water equations in the presence of a variable bottom surface. These belong to the class of simple approximate solvers that use a set of propagating jump discontinuities, or waves, to approximate the true Riemann solution. Typically, a simple solver for a system of m conservation laws uses m such discontinuities. We present a four wave solver for use with the the shallow water equations—a system of two equations in one dimension. The solver is based on a decomposition of an augmented solution vector—the depth, momentum as well as momentum flux and bottom surface. By decomposing these four variables into four waves the solver is endowed with several desirable properties simultaneously. This solver is well-balanced: it maintains a large class of steady states by the use of a properly defined steady state wave—a stationary jump discontinuity in the Riemann solution that acts as a source term. The form of this wave is introduced and described in detail. The solver also maintains depth non-negativity and extends naturally to Riemann problems with an initial dry state. These are important properties for applications with steady states and inundation, such as tsunami and flood modeling. Implementing the solver with LeVeque’s wave propagation algorithm [R.J. LeVeque, Wave propagation algorithms for multi-dimensional hyperbolic systems, J. Comput. Phys. 131 (1997) 327–335] is also described. Several numerical simulations are shown, including a test problem for tsunami modeling.     

A study of the linear free energy model for DNA structures using the generalized Hamiltonian formalism

We generalize the results of Nesterenko [13, 14] and Gogilidze and Surovtsev [15] for DNA structures. Using the generalized Hamiltonian formalism, we investigate solutions of the equilibrium shape equations for the linear free energy model.     

General initial value problem for the nonlinear shallow water equations: Runup of long waves on sloping beaches and bays

We formulate a new approach to solving the initial value problem of the shallow water-wave equations utilizing the famous Carrier–Greenspan transformation (Carrier and Greenspan (1957) [9]). We use a Taylor series approximation to deal with the difficulty associated with the initial conditions given on a curve in the transformed space. This extends earlier solutions to waves with near shore initial conditions, large initial velocities, and in more complex U-shaped bathymetries; and allows verification of tsunami wave inundation models in a more realistic 2-D setting.     

A numerical scheme for the integration of the Vlasov–Poisson system of equations, in the magnetized case

We present a numerical algorithm for the solution of the Vlasov–Poisson system of equations, in the magnetized case. The numerical integration is performed using the well-known “splitting” method in the electrostatic approximation, coupled with a finite difference upwind scheme; finally the algorithm provides second order accuracy in space and time. The cylindrical geometry is used in the velocity space, in order to describe the rotation of the particles around the direction of the external uniform magnetic field.Using polar coordinates, the integration of the Vlasov equation is very simplified in the velocity space with respect to the cartesian geometry, because the rotation in the velocity cartesian space corresponds to a translation along the azimuthal angle in the cylindrical reference frame. The scheme is intrinsically symplectic and significatively simpler to implement, with respect to a cartesian one. The numerical integration is shown in detail and several conservation tests are presented, in order to control the numerical accuracy of the code and the time evolution of the entropy, strictly related to the filamentation problem for a kinetic model, is discussed.     

A simple property of the Weyl tensor for a shear,vorticity and acceleration-free velocity field

We prove that, in a space-time of dimension \(n>3\) with a velocity field that is shear-free, vorticity-free and acceleration-free, the covariant divergence of the Weyl tensor is zero if and only if the contraction of the Weyl tensor with the velocity is zero. This extends a property found in generalised Robertson–Walker spacetimes, where the velocity is also eigenvector of the Ricci tensor. Despite the simplicity of the statement, the proof is involved. As a product of the same calculation, we introduce a curvature tensor with an interesting recurrence property.