An all-speed relaxation scheme for interface flows with surface tension

We consider interface flows where compressibility and capillary forces (surface tension) are significant. These flows are described by a non-conservative, unconditionally hyperbolic multiphase model. The numerical approximation is based on finite-volume method for unstructured grids. At the discrete level, the surface tension is approximated by a volume force (CSF formulation). The interface physical properties are recovered by designing an appropriate linearized Riemann solver (Relaxation scheme) that prevents spurious oscillations near material interfaces. For low-speed flows, a preconditioning linearization is proposed and the low Mach asymptotic is formally recovered. Numerical computations, for a bubble equilibrium, converge to the required Laplace law and the dynamic of a drop, falling under gravity, is in agreement with experimental observations.     

An unconditionally gradient stable numerical method for solving the Allen-Cahn equation

We consider an unconditionally gradient stable scheme for solving the Allen-Cahn equation representing a model for anti-phase domain coarsening in a binary mixture. The continuous problem has a decreasing total energy. We show the same property for the corresponding discrete problem by using eigenvalues of the Hessian matrix of the energy functional. We also show the pointwise boundedness of the numerical solution for the Allen-Cahn equation. We describe various numerical experiments we performed to study properties of the Allen-Cahn equation.     

A massively parallel fractional step solver for incompressible flows

This paper presents a parallel implementation of fractional solvers for the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations using an algebraic approach. Under this framework, predictor–corrector and incremental projection schemes are seen as sub-classes of the same class, making apparent its differences and similarities. An additional advantage of this approach is to set a common basis for a parallelization strategy, which can be extended to other split techniques or to compressible flows.     

Conservative, unconditionally stable discretization methods for Hamiltonian equations, applied to wave motion in lattice equations modeling protein molecules

A new approach is described for generating exactly energy-momentum conserving time discretizations for a wide class of Hamiltonian systems of DEs with quadratic momenta, including mechanical systems with central forces; it is well-suited in particular to the large systems that arise in both spatial discretizations of nonlinear wave equations and lattice equations such as the Davydov System modeling energetic pulse propagation in protein molecules. The method is unconditionally stable, making it well-suited to equations of broadly “Discrete NLS form”, including many arising in nonlinear optics.Key features of the resulting discretizations are exact conservation of both the Hamiltonian and quadratic conserved quantities related to continuous linear symmetries, preservation of time reversal symmetry, unconditional stability, and respecting the linearity of certain terms. The last feature allows a simple, efficient iterative solution of the resulting nonlinear algebraic systems that retain unconditional stability, avoiding the need for full Newton-type solvers. One distinction from earlier work on conservative discretizations is a new and more straightforward nearly canonical procedure for constructing the discretizations, based on a “discrete gradient calculus with product rule” that mimics the essential properties of partial derivatives.This numerical method is then used to study the Davydov system, revealing that previously conjectured continuum limit approximations by NLS do not hold, but that sech-like pulses related to NLS solitons can nevertheless sometimes arise.     

Pressure boundary conditions for computing incompressible flows with SPH

In Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) methods for fluid flow, incompressibility may be imposed by a projection method with an artificial homogeneous Neumann boundary condition for the pressure Poisson equation. This is often inconsistent with physical conditions at solid walls and inflow and outflow boundaries. For this reason open-boundary flows have rarely been computed using SPH. In this work, we demonstrate that the artificial pressure boundary condition produces a numerical boundary layer that compromises the solution near boundaries. We resolve this problem by utilizing a “rotational pressure-correction scheme” with a consistent pressure boundary condition that relates the normal pressure gradient to the local vorticity. We show that this scheme computes the pressure and velocity accurately near open boundaries and solid objects, and extends the scope of SPH simulation beyond the usual periodic boundary conditions.     

Provably unconditionally stable,second-order time-accurate,mixed variational methods for phase-field models

We introduce provably unconditionally stable mixed variational methods for phase-field models. Our formulation is based on a mixed finite element method for space discretization and a new second-order accurate time integration algorithm. The fully-discrete formulation inherits the main characteristics of conserved phase dynamics, namely, mass conservation and nonlinear stability with respect to the free energy. We illustrate the theory with the Cahn–Hilliard equation, but our method may be applied to other phase-field models. We also propose an adaptive time-stepping version of the new time integration method. We present some numerical examples that show the accuracy, stability and robustness of the new method.     

An improved immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann method for simulating three-dimensional incompressible flows

The recently proposed boundary condition-enforced immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann method (IB-LBM) [14] is improved in this work to simulate three-dimensional incompressible viscous flows. In the conventional IB-LBM, the restoring force is pre-calculated, and the non-slip boundary condition is not enforced as compared to body-fitted solvers. As a result, there is a flow penetration to the solid boundary. This drawback was removed by the new version of IB-LBM [14], in which the restoring force is considered as unknown and is determined in such a way that the non-slip boundary condition is enforced. Since Eulerian points are also defined inside the solid boundary, the computational domain is usually regular and the Cartesian mesh is used. On the other hand, to well capture the boundary layer and in the meantime, to save the computational effort, we often use non-uniform mesh in IB-LBM applications. In our previous two-dimensional simulations [14], the Taylor series expansion and least squares-based lattice Boltzmann method (TLLBM) was used on the non-uniform Cartesian mesh to get the flow field. The final expression of TLLBM is an algebraic formulation with some weighting coefficients. These coefficients could be computed in advance and stored for the following computations. However, this way may become impractical for 3D cases as the memory requirement often exceeds the machine capacity. The other way is to calculate the coefficients at every time step. As a result, extra time is consumed significantly. To overcome this drawback, in this study, we propose a more efficient approach to solve lattice Boltzmann equation on the non-uniform Cartesian mesh. As compared to TLLBM, the proposed approach needs much less computational time and virtual storage. Its good accuracy and efficiency are well demonstrated by its application to simulate the 3D lid-driven cubic cavity flow. To valid the combination of proposed approach with the new version of IBM [14] for 3D flows with curved boundaries, the flows over a sphere and torus are simulated. The obtained numerical results compare very well with available data in the literature.     

A remark on the Hamiltonian formalism for incompressible flows

We revisit the Hamiltonian formalism for incompressible flows as introduced by Oseledets. Our aim is to clarify some ambiguities in this formalism due to the nonintegrable singularity of the kernel which defines the Hamiltonian.     

High-order compact schemes for incompressible flows: A simple and efficient method with quasi-spectral accuracy

In this paper, a finite difference code for Direct and Large Eddy Simulation (DNS/LES) of incompressible flows is presented. This code is an intermediate tool between fully spectral Navier–Stokes solvers (limited to academic geometry through Fourier or Chebyshev representation) and more versatile codes based on standard numerical schemes (typically only second-order accurate). The interest of high-order schemes is discussed in terms of implementation easiness, computational efficiency and accuracy improvement considered through simplified benchmark problems and practical calculations. The equivalence rules between operations in physical and spectral spaces are efficiently used to solve the Poisson equation introduced by the projection method. It is shown that for the pressure treatment, an accurate Fourier representation can be used for more flexible boundary conditions than periodicity or free-slip. Using the concept of the modified wave number, the incompressibility can be enforced up to the machine accuracy. The benefit offered by this alternative method is found to be very satisfactory, even when a formal second-order error is introduced locally by boundary conditions that are neither periodic nor symmetric. The usefulness of high-order schemes combined with an immersed boundary method (IBM) is also demonstrated despite the second-order accuracy introduced by this wall modelling strategy. In particular, the interest of a partially staggered mesh is exhibited in this specific context. Three-dimensional calculations of transitional and turbulent channel flows emphasize the ability of present high-order schemes to reduce the computational cost for a given accuracy. The main conclusion of this paper is that finite difference schemes with quasi-spectral accuracy can be very efficient for DNS/LES of incompressible flows, while allowing flexibility for the boundary conditions and easiness in the code development. Therefore, this compromise fits particularly well for very high-resolution simulations of turbulent flows with relatively complex geometries without requiring heavy numerical developments.     

Stochastic least-action principle for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equation

We formulate a stochastic least-action principle for solutions of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equation, which formally reduces to Hamilton’s principle for the incompressible Euler solutions in the case of zero viscosity. We use this principle to give a new derivation of a stochastic Kelvin Theorem for the Navier-Stokes equation, recently established by Constantin and Iyer, which shows that this stochastic conservation law arises from particle-relabelling symmetry of the action. We discuss issues of irreversibility, energy dissipation, and the inviscid limit of Navier-Stokes solutions in the framework of the stochastic variational principle. In particular, we discuss the connection of the stochastic Kelvin Theorem with our previous “martingale hypothesis” for fluid circulations in turbulent solutions of the incompressible Euler equations.     

A class of Cartesian grid embedded boundary algorithms for incompressible flow with time-varying complex geometries

We present a class of numerical algorithms for simulating viscous fluid problems of incompressible flow interacting with moving rigid structures. The proposed Cartesian grid embedded boundary algorithms employ a slightly different idea from the traditional direct-forcing immersed boundary methods: the proposed algorithms calculate and apply the force density in the extended solid domain to uphold the solid velocity and hence the boundary condition at the rigid-body surface. The principle of the embedded boundary algorithm allows us to solve the fluid equations on a Cartesian grid with a set of external forces spread onto the grid points occupied by the rigid structure. The proposed algorithms use the MAC (marker and cell) algorithm to solve the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. Unlike projection methods, the MAC scheme incorporates the gradient of the force density in solving the pressure Poisson equation, so that the dipole force, due to the jump of pressure across the solid-fluid interface, is directly balanced by the gradient of the force density. We validate the proposed algorithms via the classical benchmark problem of flow past a cylinder. Our numerical experiments show that numerical solutions of the velocity field obtained by using the proposed algorithms are smooth across the solid-fluid interface. Finally, we consider the problem of a cylinder moving between two parallel plane walls. Numerical solutions of this problem obtained by using the proposed algorithms are compared with the classical asymptotic solutions. We show that the two solutions are in good agreement.     

A improved incompressible lattice Boltzmann model for time-independent flows

It is well known that the lattice Boltzmann equation method (LBE) can model the incompressible Navier-Stokes (NS) equations in the limit where density goes to a constant. In a LBE simulation, however, the density cannot be constant because pressure is equal to density times the square of sound speed, hence a compressibility error seems inevitable for the LBE to model incompressible flows. This work uses a modified equilibrium distribution and a modified velocity to construct an LBE which models time-independent (steady) incompressible flows with significantly reduced compressibility error. Computational results in 2D cavity flow and in a 2D flow with an exact solution are reported.     

Force-coupling method for flows with ellipsoidal particles

The force-coupling method, previously developed for spherical particles suspended in a liquid flow, is extended to ellipsoidal particles. In the limit of Stokes flow, there is an exact correspondence with known analytical results for isolated particles. More generally, the method is shown to provide good approximate results for the particle motion and the flow field both in viscous Stokes flow and at finite Reynolds number. This is demonstrated through comparison between fully resolved direct numerical simulations and results from the numerical implementation of the force-coupling method with a spectral/hp element scheme. The motion of settling ellipsoidal particles and neutrally buoyant particles in a Poiseuille flow are discussed.     

An adaptive central-upwind weighted essentially non-oscillatory scheme

In this work, an adaptive central-upwind 6th-order weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) scheme is developed. The scheme adapts between central and upwind schemes smoothly by a new weighting relation based on blending the smoothness indicators of the optimal higher order stencil and the lower order upwind stencils. The scheme achieves 6th-order accuracy in smooth regions of the solution by introducing a new reference smoothness indicator. A number of numerical examples suggest that the present scheme, while preserving the good shock-capturing properties of the classical WENO schemes, achieves very small numerical dissipation.     

A unified gas-kinetic scheme for continuum and rarefied flows

With discretized particle velocity space, a multiscale unified gas-kinetic scheme for entire Knudsen number flows is constructed based on the BGK model. The current scheme couples closely the update of macroscopic conservative variables with the update of microscopic gas distribution function within a time step. In comparison with many existing kinetic schemes for the Boltzmann equation, the current method has no difficulty to get accurate Navier–Stokes (NS) solutions in the continuum flow regime with a time step being much larger than the particle collision time. At the same time, the rarefied flow solution, even in the free molecule limit, can be captured accurately. The unified scheme is an extension of the gas-kinetic BGK-NS scheme from the continuum flow to the rarefied regime with the discretization of particle velocity space. The success of the method is due to the un-splitting treatment of the particle transport and collision in the evaluation of local solution of the gas distribution function. For these methods which use operator splitting technique to solve the transport and collision separately, it is usually required that the time step is less than the particle collision time. This constraint basically makes these methods useless in the continuum flow regime, especially in the high Reynolds number flow simulations. Theoretically, once the physical process of particle transport and collision is modeled statistically by the kinetic Boltzmann equation, the transport and collision become continuous operators in space and time, and their numerical discretization should be done consistently. Due to its multiscale nature of the unified scheme, in the update of macroscopic flow variables, the corresponding heat flux can be modified according to any realistic Prandtl number. Subsequently, this modification effects the equilibrium state in the next time level and the update of microscopic distribution function. Therefore, instead of modifying the collision term of the BGK model, such as ES-BGK and BGK–Shakhov, the unified scheme can achieve the same goal on the numerical level directly. Many numerical tests will be used to validate the unified method.     

Two-dimensional MRT LB model for compressible and incompressible flows

In the paper we extend the Multiple-Relaxation-Time （MRT） Lattice Boltzmann （LB） model pro- posed in [Europhys. Lctt., 2010, 90： 54003] so that it is suitable also for incompressible flows. To decrease tile artificial oscillations, the convection term is discretized by the flux linfiter scheme with splitting technique. A new model is validated by some well-known benchmark tests, including Rie- mann problem and Couette flow, and satisfying agreements are obtained between the sinmlation results and ana.lytical ones. In order to show the merit of LB model over traditional methods, the non-equilibrium characteristics of system are solved. The simulation results are consistent with the physical analysis.     

A transformation-free HOC scheme for incompressible viscous flows past an impulsively started circular cylinder

In this paper, we present a higher order compact scheme for the unsteady two-dimensional (2D) Navier–Stokes equations on nonuniform polar grids specifically designed for the incompressible viscous flows past a circular cylinder. The scheme is second order accurate in time and at least third order accurate in space. The scheme very efficiently computes both unsteady and time-marching steady-state flow for a wide range of Reynolds numbers (Re)$(\mathit{Re})$ ranging from 10 to 9500 for the impulsively started cylinder. The robustness of the scheme is highlighted when it accurately captures the vortex shedding for moderate Re   represented by the von Kármán street and the so called α$\alpha$ and β$\beta$-phenomena for higher Re. Comparisons are made with established numerical and experimental results and excellent agreement is found in all the cases, both qualitatively and quantitatively.     

Advanced lattice Boltzmann scheme for high-Reynolds-number magneto-hydrodynamic flows

Is the lattice Boltzmann method suitable to investigate numerically high-Reynolds-number magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) flows? It is shown that a standard approach based on the Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook (BGK) collision operator rapidly yields unstable simulations as the Reynolds number increases. In order to circumvent this limitation, it is here suggested to address the collision procedure in the space of central moments for the fluid dynamics. Therefore, an hybrid lattice Boltzmann scheme is introduced, which couples a central-moment scheme for the velocity with a BGK scheme for the space-and-time evolution of the magnetic field. This method outperforms the standard approach in terms of stability, allowing us to simulate high-Reynolds-number MHD flows with non-unitary Prandtl number while maintaining accuracy and physical consistency.     

An adaptive version of ghost-cell immersed boundary method for incompressible flows with complex stationary and moving boundaries

An adaptive version of immersed boundary method for simulating flows with complex stationary and moving boundaries is presented.The method employs a ghost-cell methodology which allows for a sharp representation of the immersed boundary.To simplify the implementation of the methodology,a volume-of-fluid method is introduced to identify the immersed boundary.In addition,the domain is spatially discretized using a tree-based discretization which is relatively simple to implement a fully flexible adaptive refi...