A high-order discontinuous Galerkin method for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations on arbitrary grids

A high-order discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method is proposed in this work for solving the two-dimensional steady and unsteady incompressible Navier-Stokes (INS) equations written in conservative form on arbitrary grids. In order to construct the interface inviscid fluxes both in the continuity and in the momentum equations, an artificial compressibility term has been added to the continuity equation for relaxing the incompressibility constraint. Then, as the hyperbolic nature of the INS equations has been recovered, the local Lax-Friedrichs (LLF) flux, which was previously developed in the context of hyperbolic conservation laws, is applied to discretize the inviscid term. Unlike the traditional artificial compressibility method, in this work, the artificial compressibility is introduced only for the construction of the inviscid numerical fluxes; therefore, a consistent discretization of the INS equations is obtained, irrespective of the amount of artificial compressibility used. What is more, as the LLF flux can be obtained directly and straightforward, no numerical iteration for solving an exact Riemann problem is entailed in our method. The viscous term is discretized by the direct DG method, which was developed based on the weak formulation of the scalar diffusion problems on structured grids. The performance and the accuracy of the method are demonstrated by computing a number of benchmark test cases, including both steady and unsteady incompressible flow problems. Due to its simplicity in implementation, our method provides an attractive alternative for solving the INS equations on arbitrary grids.     

An internal penalty discontinuous Galerkin method for simulating conjugate heat transfer in a closed cavity

Using the discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method for conjugate heat transfer problems can provide improved accuracy close to the fluid‐solid interface, localizing the data exchange process, which may further enhance the convergence and stability of the entire computation. This paper presents a framework for the simulation of conjugate heat transfer problems using DG methods on unstructured grids. Based on an existing DG solver for the incompressible Navier‐Stokes equation, the fluid advection‐diffusion equation, Boussinesq term, and solid heat equation are introduced using an explicit DG formulation. A Dirichlet‐Neumann partitioning strategy has been implemented to achieve the data exchange process via the numerical flux of interface quadrature points in the fluid‐solid interface. Formal h and p convergence studies employing the method of manufactured solutions demonstrate that the expected order of accuracy is achieved. The algorithm is then further validated against 3 existing benchmark cases, including a thermally driven cavity, conjugate thermally driven cavity, and a thermally driven cavity with conducting solid, at Rayleigh numbers from 1000 to 100 000. The computational effort is documented in detail demonstrating clearly that, for all cases, the highest‐order accurate algorithm has several magnitudes lower error than first‐ or second‐order schemes for a given computational effort.     

Numerical flux functions for Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes and kω turbulence model computations with a line‐preconditioned p‐multigrid discontinuous Galerkin solver

We present an eigen‐decomposition of the quasi‐linear convective flux formulation of the completely coupled Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes and kω turbulence model equations. Based on these results, we formulate different approximate Riemann solvers that can be used as numerical flux functions in a DG discretization. The effect of the different strategies on the solution accuracy is investigated with numerical examples. The actual computations are performed using a p‐multigrid algorithm. To this end, we formulate a framework with a backward‐Euler smoother in which the linear systems are solved with a general preconditioned Krylov method. We present matrix‐free implementations and memory‐lean line‐Jacobi preconditioners and compare the effects of some parameter choices. In particular, p‐multigrid is found to be less efficient than might be expected from recent findings by other authors. This might be due to the consideration of turbulent flow. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A high‐order discontinuous Galerkin method for all‐speed flows

In this article, we present a discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method designed to improve the accuracy and efficiency of steady solutions of the compressible fully coupled Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes and k ? ω turbulence model equations for solving all‐speed flows. The system of equations is iterated to steady state by means of an implicit scheme. The DG solution is extended to the incompressible limit by implementing a low Mach number preconditioning technique. A full preconditioning approach is adopted, which modifies both the unsteady terms of the governing equations and the dissipative term of the numerical flux function by means of a new preconditioner, on the basis of a modified version of Turkel's preconditioning matrix. At sonic speed the preconditioner reduces to the identity matrix thus recovering the non‐preconditioned DG discretization. An artificial viscosity term is added to the DG discretized equations to stabilize the solution in the presence of shocks when piecewise approximations of order of accuracy higher than 1 are used. Moreover, several rescaling techniques are implemented in order to overcome ill‐conditioning problems that, in addition to the low Mach number stiffness, can limit the performance of the flow solver. These approaches, through a proper manipulation of the governing equations, reduce unbalances between residuals as a result of the dependence on the size of elements in the computational mesh and because of the inherent differences between turbulent and mean‐flow variables, influencing both the evolution of the Courant Friedrichs Lewy (CFL) number and the inexact solution of the linear systems. The performance of the method is demonstrated by solving three turbulent aerodynamic test cases: the flat plate, the L1T2 high‐lift configuration and the RAE2822 airfoil (Case 9). The computations are performed at different Mach numbers using various degrees of polynomial approximations to analyze the influence of the proposed numerical strategies on the accuracy, efficiency and robustness of a high‐order DG solver at different flow regimes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A spectral‐element discontinuous Galerkin thermal lattice Boltzmann method for conjugate heat transfer applications

We present a spectral‐element discontinuous Galerkin thermal lattice Boltzmann method for fluid–solid conjugate heat transfer applications. Using the discrete Boltzmann equation, we propose a numerical scheme for conjugate heat transfer applications on unstructured, non‐uniform grids. We employ a double‐distribution thermal lattice Boltzmann model to resolve flows with variable Prandtl (Pr) number. Based upon its finite element heritage, the spectral‐element discontinuous Galerkin discretization provides an effective means to model and investigate thermal transport in applications with complex geometries. Our solutions are represented by the tensor product basis of the one‐dimensional Legendre–Lagrange interpolation polynomials. A high‐order discretization is employed on body‐conforming hexahedral elements with Gauss–Lobatto–Legendre quadrature nodes. Thermal and hydrodynamic bounce‐back boundary conditions are imposed via the numerical flux formulation that arises because of the discontinuous Galerkin approach. As a result, our scheme does not require tedious extrapolation at the boundaries, which may cause loss of mass conservation. We compare solutions of the proposed scheme with an analytical solution for a solid–solid conjugate heat transfer problem in a 2D annulus and illustrate the capture of temperature continuities across interfaces for conductivity ratio γ > 1. We also investigate the effect of Reynolds (Re) and Grashof (Gr) number on the conjugate heat transfer between a heat‐generating solid and a surrounding fluid. Steady‐state results are presented for Re = 5?40 and Gr = 10⁵?10⁶. In each case, we discuss the effect of Re and Gr on the heat flux (i.e. Nusselt number Nu) at the fluid–solid interface. Our results are validated against previous studies that employ finite‐difference and continuous spectral‐element methods to solve the Navier–Stokes equations. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A mixed finite element method for the generalized Stokes problem

We present and analyse a new mixed finite element method for the generalized Stokes problem. The approach, which is a natural extension of a previous procedure applied to quasi‐Newtonian Stokes flows, is based on the introduction of the flux and the tensor gradient of the velocity as further unknowns. This yields a two‐fold saddle point operator equation as the resulting variational formulation. Then, applying a slight generalization of the well known Babu?ka–Brezzi theory, we prove that the continuous and discrete formulations are well posed, and derive the associated a priori error analysis. In particular, the finite element subspaces providing stability coincide with those employed for the usual Stokes flows except for one of them that needs to be suitably enriched. We also develop an a posteriori error estimate (based on local problems) and propose the associated adaptive algorithm to compute the finite element solutions. Several numerical results illustrate the performance of the method and its capability to localize boundary layers, inner layers, and singularities. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A hybrid pressure–density‐based algorithm for the Euler equations at all Mach number regimes

In the present work, we propose a reformulation of the fluxes and interpolation calculations in the PISO method, a well‐known pressure‐correction solver. This new reformulation introduces the AUSM⁺ ? up flux definition as a replacement for the standard Rhie and Chow method of obtaining fluxes and central interpolation of pressure at the control volume faces. This algorithm tries to compatibilize the good efficiency of a pressure based method for low Mach number applications with the advantages of AUSM⁺ ? up at high Mach number flows. The algorithm is carefully validated using exact solutions. Results for subsonic, transonic and supersonic axisymmetric flows in a nozzle are presented and compared with exact analytical solutions. Further, we also present and discuss subsonic, transonic and supersonic results for the well known bump test‐case. The code is also benchmarked against a very tough test‐case for the supersonic and hypersonic flow over a cylinder. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Boundary discretization for high‐order discontinuous Galerkin computations of tidal flows around shallow water islands

In this paper some preliminary results concerning the application of the high‐order discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method for the resolution of realistic problems of tidal flows around shallow water islands are presented. In particular, tidal flows are computed around the Rattray island located in the Great Barrier Reef. This island is a standard benchmark problem well documented in the literature providing useful in situ measurements for validation of the model. Realistic elements of the simulation are a tidal flow forcing, a variable bathymetry and a non‐trivial coastline. The computation of tidal flows in shallow water around an island is very similar to the simulation of the Euler equations around bluff bodies in quasi‐steady flows. The main difference lies in the high irregularity of islands' shapes and in the fact that, in the framework of large‐scale ocean models, the number of elements to represent an island is drastically limited compared with classical engineering computations. We observe that the high‐order DG method applied to shallow water flows around bluff bodies with poor linear boundary representations produces oscillations and spurious eddies. Surprisingly those eddies may have the right size and intensity but may be generated by numerical diffusion and are not always mathematically relevant. Although not interested in solving accurately the boundary layers of an island, we show that a high‐order boundary representation is mandatory to avoid non‐physical eddies and spurious oscillations. It is then possible to parametrize accurately the subgrid‐scale processes to introduce the correct amount of diffusion in the model. The DG results around the Rattray island are eventually compared with current measurements and reveal good agreement. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bubble‐based stabilized finite element methods for time‐dependent convection–diffusion–reaction problems

In this paper, we propose a numerical algorithm for time‐dependent convection–diffusion–reaction problems and compare its performance with the well‐known numerical methods in the literature. Time discretization is performed by using fractional‐step θ‐scheme, while an economical form of the residual‐free bubble method is used for the space discretization. We compare the proposed algorithm with the classical stabilized finite element methods over several benchmark problems for a wide range of problem configurations. The effect of the order in the sequence of discretization (in time and in space) to the quality of the approximation is also investigated. Numerical experiments show the improvement through the proposed algorithm over the classical methods in either cases. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A compressible two‐fluid multiphase model for CO2 leakage through a wellbore

This paper introduces an effectively mesh‐independent and computationally efficient model for CO₂ leakage through wellbores. A one‐dimensional compressible two‐fluid domain, representing a homogeneous air gas and a multiphase CO₂ with a jump at the interface between them, is modeled. The physical domain is modeled using the drift‐flux model, and the governing equations are solved using a mixed finite‐element discretization scheme. The standard Galerkin FEM, the partition of unity method, and the level‐set method are integrated to solve the problem. All important physical phenomena and processes occurring along the wellbore path, including fluid dynamics, buoyancy, phase change, compressibility, thermal interaction, wall friction, and slip between phases, together with the jump in density and enthalpy between air and CO₂, are considered. Two numerical examples illustrating the computational capability and efficiency of the model are presented. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High accuracy time and space transform method for advection–diffusion equation in an unbounded domain

A new numerical method called high accuracy time and space transform method (TSTM) is introduced to solve the advection–diffusion equation in an unbounded domain. By a spatial transform, the advection–diffusion equation in the unbounded domain Rⁿ is converted to one on the bounded domain [?1, 1]ⁿ, and the Laplace transform is applied to eliminate time dependency. The consequent boundary value problem is solved by collocation on Chebyshev points. To face the well‐known computational challenge represented by the numerical inversion of the Laplace transform, Talbot's method is applied, consisting of numerically integrating the Bromwich integral on a special contour by means of trapezoidal or midpoint rules. Numerical experiments illustrate that TSTM has exponential rate in time and space. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Well‐balancing issues related to the RKDG2 scheme for the shallow water equations

Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) finite element methods have salient features that are mainly highlighted by their locality, their easiness in balancing the flux and source term gradients and their component‐wise structure. In the light of this, this paper aims to provide insights into the well‐balancing property of a second‐order Runge–Kutta Discontinuous Galerkin (RKDG2) method. For this purpose, a Godunov‐type RKDG2 method is presented for solving the shallow water equations. The scheme is based on local DG linear approximations and does not entail any special treatment of the source terms in order to achieve well‐balanced numerical results. The performance of the present RKDG2 scheme in reproducing conserved solutions for both free surface and discharge over strongly irregular topography is demonstrated by applying to several hydraulic benchmarks. Meanwhile, the effects of different slope limiting procedures on the well‐balancing property are investigated and discussed. This work may provide useful guidelines for developing a well‐balanced RKDG2 numerical scheme for shallow water flow simulation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An extension of the SIMPLE based discontinuous Galerkin solver to unsteady incompressible flows

In this paper, we present a SIMPLE based algorithm in the context of the discontinuous Galerkin method for unsteady incompressible flows. Time discretization is done fully implicit using backward differentiation formulae (BDF) of varying order from 1 to 4. We show that the original equation for the pressure correction can be modified by using an equivalent operator stemming from the symmetric interior penalty (SIP) method leading to a reduced stencil size. To assess the accuracy as well as the stability and the performance of the scheme, three different test cases are carried out: the Taylor vortex flow, the Orr‐Sommerfeld stability problem for plane Poiseuille flow and the flow past a square cylinder. (1) Simulating the Taylor vortex flow, we verify the temporal accuracy for the different BDF schemes. Using the mixed‐order formulation, a spatial convergence study yields convergence rates of k + 1 and k in the L²‐norm for velocity and pressure, respectively. For the equal‐order formulation, we obtain approximately the same convergence rates, while the absolute error is smaller. (2) The stability of our method is examined by simulating the Orr–Sommerfeld stability problem. Using the mixed‐order formulation and adjusting the penalty parameter of the symmetric interior penalty method for the discretization of the viscous part, we can demonstrate the long‐term stability of the algorithm. Using pressure stabilization the equal‐order formulation is stable without changing the penalty parameter. (3) Finally, the results for the flow past a square cylinder show excellent agreement with numerical reference solutions as well as experiments. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Higher‐order and adaptive discontinuous Galerkin methods with shock‐capturing applied to transonic turbulent delta wing flow

Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods allow high‐order flow solutions on unstructured or locally refined meshes by increasing the polynomial degree and using curved instead of straight‐sided elements. DG discretizations with higher polynomial degrees must, however, be stabilized in the vicinity of discontinuities of flow solutions such as shocks. In this article, we device a consistent shock‐capturing method for the Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes and k‐ ω turbulence model equations based on an artificial viscosity term that depends on element residual terms. Furthermore, the DG method is combined with a residual‐based adaptation algorithm that targets at resolving all flow features. The higher‐order and adaptive DG method is applied to a fully turbulent transonic flow around the second Vortex Flow Experiment (VFE‐2) configuration with a good resolution of the vortex system.Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An efficient high order direct ALE ADER finite volume scheme with a posteriori limiting for hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics

In this paper, we present a new family of direct arbitrary–Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) finite volume schemes for the solution of hyperbolic balance laws on unstructured meshes in multiple space dimensions. The scheme is designed to be high‐order accurate both in space and time, and the mesh motion, which provides the new mesh configuration at the next time step, is taken into account in the final finite volume scheme that is based directly on a space‐time conservation formulation of the governing PDE system. To improve the computational efficiency of the algorithm, high order of accuracy in space is achieved using the a posteriori MOOD limiting strategy that allows the reconstruction procedure to be carried out with only one reconstruction stencil for any order of accuracy. We rely on an element‐local space‐time Galerkin finite element predictor on moving curved meshes to obtain a high‐order accurate one‐step time discretization, while the mesh velocity is computed by means of a suitable nodal solver algorithm that might also be supplemented with a local rezoning procedure to improve the mesh quality. Next, the old mesh configuration at time level tⁿ is connected to the new one at t^n + 1 by straight edges, hence providing unstructured space‐time control volumes, on the boundary of which the numerical flux has to be integrated. Here, we adopt a quadrature‐free integration, in which the space‐time boundaries of the control volumes are split into simplex sub‐elements that yield constant space‐time normal vectors and Jacobian matrices. In this way, the integrals over the simplex sub‐elements can be evaluated once and for all analytically during a preprocessing step. We apply the new high‐order direct ALE algorithm to the Euler equations of compressible gas dynamics (also referred to as hydrodynamics equations) as well as to the magnetohydrodynamics equations and we solve a set of classical test problems in two and three space dimensions. Numerical convergence rates are provided up to fifth order of accuracy in 2D and 3D for both hyperbolic systems considered in this paper. Finally, the efficiency of the new method is measured and carefully compared against the original formulation of the algorithm that makes use of a WENO reconstruction technique and Gaussian quadrature formulae for the flux integration: depending on the test problem, the new class of very efficient direct ALE schemes proposed in this paper can run up to ≈12 times faster in the 3D case. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

LES of temporally evolving mixing layers by an eighth‐order filter scheme

An eighth‐order filter method for a wide range of compressible flow speeds (H. C. Yee and B. Sjogreen, Proceedings of ICOSAHOM09, June 22–26, 2009, Trondheim, Norway) is employed for large eddy simulations (LES) of temporally evolving mixing layers (TML) for different convective Mach numbers (M_c) and Reynolds numbers. The high‐order filter method is designed for accurate and efficient simulations of shock‐free compressible turbulence, turbulence with shocklets, and turbulence with strong shocks with minimum tuning of scheme parameters. The value of the M_c considered is for the TML range from the quasi‐incompressible regime to the highly compressible supersonic regime. The three main characteristics of compressible TML (the self‐similarity property, compressibility effects, and the presence of large‐scale structures with shocklets for high M_c) are considered for the LES study. The LES results that used the same scheme parameters for all studied cases agree well with experimental results and published direct numerical simulations (DNS). Published 2012. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

Compressive advection and multi‐component methods for interface‐capturing

This paper develops methods for interface‐capturing in multiphase flows. The main novelties of these methods are as follows: (a) multi‐component modelling that embeds interface structures into the continuity equation; (b) a new family of triangle/tetrahedron finite elements, in particular, the P₁DG‐P₂(linear discontinuous between elements velocity and quadratic continuous pressure); (c) an interface‐capturing scheme based on compressive control volume advection methods and high‐order finite element interpolation methods; (d) a time stepping method that allows use of relatively large time step sizes; and (e) application of anisotropic mesh adaptivity to focus the numerical resolution around the interfaces and other areas of important dynamics. This modelling approach is applied to a series of pure advection problems with interfaces as well as to the simulation of the standard computational fluid dynamics benchmark test cases of a collapsing water column under gravitational forces (in two and three dimensions) and sloshing water in a tank. Two more test cases are undertaken in order to demonstrate the many‐material and compressibility modelling capabilities of the approach. Numerical simulations are performed on coarse unstructured meshes to demonstrate the potential of the methods described here to capture complex dynamics in multiphase flows. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Effects of Blowing and Suction on Double Diffusion by Mixed Convection over Inclined Permeable Surfaces

A boundary layer analysis is used to investigate the effect of lateral mass flux on mixed convection heat and mass transfer over inclined permeable surfaces in porous media. The conservation equations that govern the problem are reduced to a system of non-linear ordinary differential equations and then the resulting equations is solved by numerical method. The numerical results for heat and mass transfer in terms of Nusselt and Sherwood number are presented in x-y plots for the buoyancy ratio (N) and Lewis number (Le) with mass flux pammeter (Fw). The obtained results are validated against previously published results with on special case of the problem.     

Application of differential quadrature method to simulate natural convection in a concentric annulus

In this paper, the Fourier expansion‐based differential quadrature (FDQ) and the polynomial‐based differential quadrature (PDQ) methods are applied to simulate the natural convection in a concentric annulus with a horizontal axis. The comparison and grid independence of PDQ and FDQ results are studied in detail. It was found that both PDQ and FDQ can obtain accurate numerical solutions using just a few grid points and requiring very small computational resources. It was demonstrated in the paper that the FDQ method can be applied to a periodic problem or a non‐periodic problem. When FDQ is applied to a non‐periodic problem (half of annulus), it can achieve the same order of accuracy as the PDQ method. And when FDQ is applied to the periodic problem (whole annulus), it is very efficient for low Rayleigh numbers. However, its efficiency is greatly reduced for the high Rayleigh numbers. The benchmark solution for Ra=10², 10³, 3×10³, 6×10³, 10⁴, 5×10⁴ are also presented in the paper. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.