A finite volume Navier-Stokes algorithm for adaptive grids

A compact, finite volume, time-marching scheme for the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations of viscous fluid flow is presented. The scheme is designed for unstructured (locally refined) quadrilateral meshes. An earlier inviscid equation (Euler) scheme is employed for the convective terms and the emphasis is on treatment of the viscous terms. An essential feature of the algorithm is that all necessary operations are restricted to within each cell, which is very important when dealing with unstructured grids. Numerical issues which have to be addressed when developing a Navier-Stokes scheme are investigated. These issues are not limited to the particular Navier-Stokes scheme developed in the present work but are general problems. Specifically, the extent of the numerical molecule, which is related to the compactness of the scheme and to its suitability for unstructured grids, is examined. An approach which considers suppression of odd-even mode decoupling of the solution when designing a scheme is presented. In addition, accuracy issues related to grid stretching as well as boundary layer solution contamination due to artificial dissipation are addressed. Although the above issues are investigated with respect to the specific scheme presented, the conclusions are valid for an entire class of finite volume algorithms. The Navier-Stokes solver is validated through test cases which involve comparisons with analytical, numerical and experimental results. The solver is coupled to an adaptive algorithm for high-Reynolds-number aerofoil flow computations.     

Numerical diffusion for flow‐aligned unstructured grids with application to estuarine modeling

The benefits of unstructured grids in hydrodynamic models are well understood but in many cases lead to greater numerical diffusion compared with methods available on structured grids. The flexible nature of unstructured grids, however, allows for the orientation of the grid to align locally with the dominant flow direction and thus decrease numerical diffusion. We investigate the relationship between grid alignment and diffusive errors in the context of scalar transport in a triangular, unstructured, 3‐D hydrodynamic code. Analytical results are presented for the 2‐D anisotropic numerical diffusion tensor and verified against idealized simulations. Results from two physically realistic estuarine simulations, differing only in grid alignment, show significant changes in gradients of salinity. Changes in scalar gradients are reflective of reduced numerical diffusion interacting with the complex 3‐D structure of the transporting flow. We also describe a method for utilizing flow fields from an unaligned grid to generate a flow‐aligned grid with minimal supervision. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical analysis of conservative unstructured discretisations for low Mach flows

Unstructured meshes allow easily representing complex geometries and to refine in regions of interest without adding control volumes in unnecessary regions. However, numerical schemes used on unstructured grids have to be properly defined in order to minimise numerical errors. An assessment of a low Mach algorithm for laminar and turbulent flows on unstructured meshes using collocated and staggered formulations is presented. For staggered formulations using cell‐centred velocity reconstructions, the standard first‐order method is shown to be inaccurate in low Mach flows on unstructured grids. A recently proposed least squares procedure for incompressible flows is extended to the low Mach regime and shown to significantly improve the behaviour of the algorithm. Regarding collocated discretisations, the odd–even pressure decoupling is handled through a kinetic energy conserving flux interpolation scheme. This approach is shown to efficiently handle variable‐density flows. Besides, different face interpolations schemes for unstructured meshes are analysed. A kinetic energy‐preserving scheme is applied to the momentum equations, namely, the symmetry‐preserving scheme. Furthermore, a new approach to define the far‐neighbouring nodes of the quadratic upstream interpolation for convective kinematics scheme is presented and analysed. The method is suitable for both structured and unstructured grids, either uniform or not. The proposed algorithm and the spatial schemes are assessed against a function reconstruction, a differentially heated cavity and a turbulent self‐igniting diffusion flame. It is shown that the proposed algorithm accurately represents unsteady variable‐density flows. Furthermore, the quadratic upstream interpolation for convective kinematics scheme shows close to second‐order behaviour on unstructured meshes, and the symmetry‐preserving is reliably used in all computations. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An aspect ratio agglomeration multigrid for unstructured grids

A robust aspect ratio‐based agglomeration algorithm to generate high quality of coarse grids for unstructured and hybrid grids is proposed in this paper. The algorithm focuses on multigrid techniques for the numerical solution of Euler and Navier–Stokes equations, which conform to cell‐centered finite volume special discretization scheme, combines vertex‐based isotropic agglomeration and cell‐based directional agglomeration to yield large increases in convergence rates. Aspect ratio is used as fusing weight to capture the degree of cell convexity and give an indication of cell stretching. Agglomeration front queue is established to propagate inward from the boundaries, which stores isotropic vertex and also high‐stretched cell marked with different flag according to aspect ratio. We conduct the present method to solve Euler and Navier–Stokes equations on unstructured and hybrid grids and compare the results with single grid as well as MGridGen, which shows that the present method is efficient in reducing computational time for large‐scale system equations. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Particle transport method for convection problems with reaction and diffusion

The paper is devoted to the further development of the particle transport method for the convection problems with diffusion and reaction. Here, the particle transport method for a convection–reaction problem is combined with an Eulerian finite‐element method for diffusion in the framework of the operator‐splitting approach. The technique possesses a special spatial adaptivity to resolve solution singularities possible due to convection and reaction terms. A monotone projection technique is used to transfer the solution of the convection–reaction subproblem from a moving set of particles onto a fixed grid to initialize the diffusion subproblem. The proposed approach exhibits good mass conservation and works with structured and unstructured meshes. The performance of the presented algorithm is tested on one‐ and two‐dimensional benchmark problems. The numerical results confirm that the method demonstrates good accuracy for the convection‐dominated as well as for convection–diffusion problems. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

非结构混合网格在气动热标模模拟中的应用

非结构混合网格消除了结构网格节点的结构性限制,可以较好地处理边界,同时兼顾了粘性边界层模拟的需求,具有灵活性大、对复杂外形适应能力强和生成耗时短等优点,在飞行器气动特性模拟中得到广泛应用.本文针对非结构混合网格的特点,把前期针对非结构混合网格气动力高精度模拟发展改进的梯度计算方法和Roe格式熵修正方法推广应用到气动热流的数值模拟.以典型钝锥标模外形的高超声速绕流为研究对象,开展了不同网格形式和第一层网格不同间距的影响研究.结果 表明,热流计算时,头部物面网格最好采用四边形或四边形交叉剖分得到的三角形网格,物面法向的网格雷诺数取20左右,为热流计算时非结构混合网格的生成提供了指导,同时验证了计算方法的有效性和可靠性.     

An efficient and accurate algebraic interface capturing method for unstructured grids in 2 and 3 dimensions: The THINC method with quadratic surface representation

We present in this paper an efficient and accurate volume of fluid (VOF) type scheme to compute moving interfaces on unstructured grids with arbitrary quadrilateral mesh elements in 2D and hexahedral elements in 3D. Being an extension of the multi‐dimensional tangent of hyperbola interface capturing (THINC) reconstruction proposed by the authors in Cartesian grid, an algebraic VOF scheme is devised for arbitrary quadrilateral and hexahedral elements. The interface is cell‐wisely approximated by a quadratic surface, which substantially improves the numerical accuracy. The same as the other THINC type schemes, the present method does not require the explicit geometric representation of the interface when computing numerical fluxes and thus is very computationally efficient and straightforward in implementation. The proposed scheme has been verified by benchmark tests, which reveal that this scheme is able to produce high‐quality numerical solutions of moving interfaces in unstructured grids and thus a practical method for interfacial multi‐phase flow simulations. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

一个基于非均匀网格上的二阶基本振荡差分格式

在基本无振荡格式的构造中，将通常的对流通量f的逼近方式推广到对通量导数的逼近，这一构造方法可以有效地应用到非均匀或非结构网格。直接基于非均匀网格上，构造了一个二阶的基本无振荡（ENO）差分格式，该格式具有形式简单，对网格的划分灵活，对传统格式相比不增加计算量等优点，几个数值算例证明了格式的有效性。     

Multigrid convergence acceleration for implicit and explicit solution of Euler equations on unstructured grids

The multigrid method is one of the most efficient techniques for convergence acceleration of iterative methods. In this method, a grid coarsening algorithm is required. Here, an agglomeration scheme is introduced, which is applicable in both cell‐center and cell‐vertex 2 and 3D discretizations. A new implicit formulation is presented, which results in better computation efficiency, when added to the multigrid scheme. A few simple procedures are also proposed and applied to provide even higher convergence acceleration. The Euler equations are solved on an unstructured grid around standard transonic configurations to validate the algorithm and to assess its superiority to conventional explicit agglomeration schemes. The scheme is applied to 2 and 3D test cases using both cell‐center and cell‐vertex discretizations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Viscoelastic flow between eccentric rotating cylinders: unstructured control volume method

This paper reports a convergent numerical algorithm for the Upper-Convected Maxwell (UCM) fluid between two eccentric cylinders at various eccentricity ratios (?); the outer cylinder is stationary, and the inner one rotating. The problem is solved by an unstructured control volume method (UCV), which is designed for a general viscoelastic flow problem with an arbitrary computational domain. A self-consistent false diffusion technique and an iteration scheme are used in combination to solve the problem. The computations of the UCM fluid using the numerical algorithm are carried out to a higher value of the Deborah number (De) at each eccentricity tested than hitherto possible with previous numerical simulations. The solutions are compared with previous numerical results, confirming the effectiveness of the UCV method as a general technique for solving viscoelastic flow problems.     

An unstructured-grid numerical model for interfacial multiphase fluids based on multi-moment finite volume formulation and THINC method

We present a practical numerical framework for incompressible interfacial multiphase flows on unstructured grids with arbitrary and hybrid elements. The numerical framework is constructed by combining VPM (volume-average/point-value multi-moment) and UMTHINC (unstructured multi-dimensional tangent of hyperbola interface capturing) schemes. To facilitate accurate and reliable simulations for interfacial multiphase flows on arbitrary and hybrid unstructured grids, we have made the following major new efforts in this work. (1) UMTHINC scheme on prismatic and pyramidal elements to facilitate computations on hybrid arbitrary unstructured grids; (2) Consistent numerical formulation for mass and momentum transports to simulate multiphase flows of large density ratio; (3) Combined FVM-FEM for accurate solution to diffusion equation; (4) Pressure-projection formulation in consistent with the balanced-force model. Integrating all these numerical techniques effectively enhances the accuracy and robustness in interface capturing and numerical solution of multiphase fluid dynamics, which results in a numerical framework of great significance for practical applications. Numerical verifications have been carried out through benchmark tests ranging from surface tension dominant flows of small scale to large scale flows with violently-changing interfaces. Numerical results demonstrate that the present framework is robust with adequate accuracy for simulating multiphase flows in complex geometries.     

Computation of viscous incompressible flow using pressure correction method on unstructured Chimera grid

In this paper, a pressure correction algorithm for computing incompressible flows is modified and implemented on unstructured Chimera grid. Schwarz method is used to couple the solutions of different sub-domains. A new interpolation to ensure consistency between primary variables and auxiliary variables is proposed. Other important issues such as global mass conservation and order of accuracy in the interpolations are also discussed. Two numerical simulations are successfully performed. They include one steady case, the lid-driven cavity and one unsteady case, the flow around a circular cylinder. The results demonstrate a very good performance of the proposed scheme on unstructured Chimera grids. It prevents the decoupling of pressure field in the overlapping region and requires only little modification to the existing unstructured Navier–Stokes (NS) solver. The numerical experiments show the reliability and potential of this method in applying to practical problems.     

A gas‐kinetic scheme for the simulation of turbulent flows on unstructured meshes

This paper presents a numerical method for simulating turbulent flows via coupling the Boltzmann BGK equation with Spalart–Allmaras one equation turbulence model. Both the Boltzmann BGK equation and the turbulence model equation are carried out using the finite volume method on unstructured meshes, which is different from previous works on structured grid. The application of the gas‐kinetic scheme is extended to the simulation of turbulent flows with arbitrary geometries. The adaptive mesh refinement technique is also adopted to reduce the computational cost and improve the efficiency of meshes. To organize the unstructured mesh data structure efficiently, a non‐manifold hybrid mesh data structure is extended for polygonal cells. Numerical experiments are performed on incompressible flow over a smooth flat plate and compressible turbulent flows around a NACA 0012 airfoil using unstructured hybrid meshes. These numerical results are found to be in good agreement with experimental data and/or other numerical solutions, demonstrating the applicability of the proposed method to simulate both subsonic and transonic turbulent flows. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical simulation of fluid flows using an unstructured finite volume method with adaptive tri‐tree grids

A tri‐tree grid generation procedure is developed together with a finite volume method on the unstructured grid for solving the Navier–Stokes equations. A hierarchic numbering system for the data structure is used. The grid is adapted by adding and removing cell elements dependent on the vorticity magnitude. A special treatment is developed to ensure good quality triangular elements around the cylinder boundary. The adopted finite volume method is based on the cell‐centred scheme. The pressure–velocity coupling is treated using the SIMPLE algorithm. A modified QUICK scheme for unstructured grids is derived. The developed method is used to simulate the flow past a single and multiple cylinders at low Reynolds number. The obtained results are in good agreement with the published data. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Parallel three‐dimensional simulation of the injection molding process

This paper describes the development of a parallel three‐dimensional unstructured non‐isothermal flow solver for the simulation of the injection molding process. The numerical model accounts for multiphase flow in which the melt and air regions are considered to be a continuous incompressible fluid with distinct physical properties. This aspect avoids the complex reconstruction of the interface. A collocated finite volume method is employed, which can switch between first‐ and second‐order accuracy in both space and time. The pressure implicit with splitting of operators algorithm is used to compute the transient flow variables and couple velocity and pressure. The temperature equation is solved using a transport equation with convection and diffusion terms. An upwind differencing scheme is used for the discretization of the convection term to enforce a bounded solution. In order to capture the sharp interface, a bounded compressive high‐resolution scheme is employed. Parallelization of the code is achieved using the PETSc framework and a single program multiple data message passing model. Predicted numerical solutions for several example problems are considered. The first case validates the solution algorithm for moderate Reynolds number flows using a structured mesh. The second case employs an unstructured hybrid mesh showing the capability of the solver to describe highly viscous flows closer to realistic injection molding conditions. The final case presents the non‐isothermal filling of a thick cavity using three mesh sizes and up to 80 processors to assess parallel performance. The proposed algorithm is shown to have good accuracy and scalability. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Computation of Compressible Flows using a Two-equation Turbulence Model on Unstructured Grids

This paper presents a numerical method for solving compressible turbulent flows using a k - l turbulence model on unstructured meshes. The flow equations and turbulence equations are solved in a loosely coupled manner. The flow equations are advanced in time using a multi-stage Runge-Kutta time stepping scheme, while the turbulence equations are advanced using a multi-stage point-implicit scheme. The positivity of turbulence variables is achieved using a simple change of dependent variables. The developed method is used to compute a variety of turbulent flow problems. The results obtained are in good agreement with theoretical and experimental data, indicating that the present method provides a viable and robust algorithm for computing turbulent flows on unstructured meshes.     

A finite volume unstructured multigrid method for efficient computation of unsteady incompressible viscous flows

An unstructured non‐nested multigrid method is presented for efficient simulation of unsteady incompressible Navier–Stokes flows. The Navier–Stokes solver is based on the artificial compressibility approach and a higher‐order characteristics‐based finite‐volume scheme on unstructured grids. Unsteady flow is calculated with an implicit dual time stepping scheme. For efficient computation of unsteady viscous flows over complex geometries, an unstructured multigrid method is developed to speed up the convergence rate of the dual time stepping calculation. The multigrid method is used to simulate the steady and unsteady incompressible viscous flows over a circular cylinder for validation and performance evaluation purposes. It is found that the multigrid method with three levels of grids results in a 75% reduction in CPU time for the steady flow calculation and 55% reduction for the unsteady flow calculation, compared with its single grid counterparts. The results obtained are compared with numerical solutions obtained by other researchers as well as experimental measurements wherever available and good agreements are obtained. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cell-vertex Based Parallel and Adaptive Explicit 3D Flow Solution on Unstructured Grids

A parallel adaptive Euler flow solution algorithm is developed for 3D applications on distributed memory computers. Significant contribution of this research is the development and implementation of a parallel grid adaptation scheme together with an explicit cell vertex-based finite volume 3D flow solver on unstructured tetrahedral grids. Parallel adaptation of grids is based on grid-regeneration philosophy by using an existing serial grid generation program. Then, a general partitioner repartitions the grid. An adaptive sensor value, which is a measure to refine or coarsen grids, is calculated considering the pressure gradients in all partitioned blocks of grids. The parallel performance of the present study was tested. Parallel computations were performed on Unix workstations and a Linux cluster using MPI communication library. The present results show that overall adaptation scheme developed in this study is applicable to any pair of a flow solver and grid generator with affordable cost. It is also proved that parallel adaptation is necessary for accurate and efficient flow solutions.     

Development of new finite volume schemes on unstructured triangular grid for simulating the gas–liquid two‐phase flow

This paper presents a coupled finite volume inner doubly iterative efficient algorithm for linked equations (IDEAL) with level set method to simulate the incompressible gas–liquid two‐phase flows with moving interfaces on unstructured triangular grid. The finite volume IDEAL method on a collocated grid is employed to solve the incompressible two‐phase Navier–Stokes equations, and the level set method is used to capture the moving interfaces. For the sake of mass conservation, an effective second‐order accurate finite volume scheme is developed to solve the level set equation on triangular grid, which can be implemented much easier than the classical high‐order level set solvers. In this scheme, the value of level set function on the boundary of control volume is approximated using a linear combination of a high‐order Larangian interpolation and a second‐order upwind interpolation. By the rotating slotted disk and stretching and shrinking of a circular fluid element benchmark cases, the mass conservation and accuracy of the new scheme is verified. Then the coupled method is applied to two‐phase flows, including a 2D bubble rising problem and a 2D dam breaking problem. The computational results agree well with those reported in literatures and experimental data. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于非结构化同位网格的SIMPLE算法

通过基于非结构化网格的有限体积法对二维稳态Navier—Stokes方程进行了数值求解。其中对流项采用延迟修正的二阶格式进行离散；扩散项的离散采用二阶中心差分格式；对于压力-速度耦合利用SIMPLE算法进行处理；计算节点的布置采用同位网格技术，界面流速通过动量插值确定。本文对方腔驱动流、倾斜腔驱动流和圆柱外部绕流问题进行了计算，讨论了非结构化同位网格有限体积法在实现SIMPLE算法时，迭代次数与欠松弛系数的关系、不同网格情况的收敛性、同结构化网格的对比以及流场尾迹结构。通过和以往结果比较可知，本文的方法是准确和可信的。