Preconditioning techniques for the coupled Stokes–Darcy problem: spectral and field-of-values analysis

We study the performance of some preconditioning techniques for a class of block three-by-three linear systems of equations arising from finite element discretizations of the coupled Stokes–Darcy flow problem. In particular, we investigate preconditioning techniques including block preconditioners, constraint preconditioners, and augmented Lagrangian-based ones. Spectral and field-of-value analyses are established for the exact versions of these preconditioners. The result of numerical experiments are reported to illustrate the performance of inexact variants of the various preconditioners used with flexible GMRES in the solution of a 3D test problem with large jumps in the permeability

An augmented Lagrangian-based preconditioning technique for a class of block three-by-three linear systems

We propose an augmented Lagrangian-based preconditioner to accelerate the convergence of Krylov subspace methods applied to linear systems of equations with a block three-by-three structure such as those arising from mixed finite element discretizations of the coupled Stokes-Darcy flow problem. We analyze the spectrum of the preconditioned matrix and we show how the new preconditioner can be efficiently applied. Numerical experiments are reported to illustrate the effectiveness of the preconditioner in conjunction with flexible GMRES for solving linear systems of equations arising from a 3D test problem

Rational approximation preconditioners for multiphysics problems

We consider a class of mathematical models describing multiphysics phenomena interacting through interfaces. On such interfaces, the traces of the fields lie (approximately) in the range of a weighted sum of two fractional differential operators. We use a rational function approximation to precondition such operators. We first demonstrate the robustness of the approximation for ordinary functions given by weighted sums of fractional exponents. Additionally, we present more realistic examples utilizing the proposed preconditioning techniques in interface coupling between Darcy and Stokes equations

Uzawa smoother in multigrid for the coupleD porous medium and stokes flow system

The multigrid solution of coupled porous media and Stokes flow problems is considered. The Darcy equation as the saturated porous medium model is coupled to the Stokes equations by means of appropriate interface conditions. We focus on an efficient multigrid solution technique for the coupled problem, which is discretized by finite volumes on staggered grids, giving rise to a saddle point linear system. Special treatment is required regarding the discretization at the interface. An Uzawa smoother is employed in multigrid, which is a decoupled procedure based on symmetric Gauss–Seidel smoothing for velocity components and a simple Richardson iteration for the pressure field. Since a relaxation parameter is part of a Richardson iteration, local Fourier analysis is applied to determine the optimal parameters. Highly satisfactory multigrid convergence is reported, and, moreover, the algorithm performs very well for small values of the hydraulic conductivity and fluid viscosity, which are relevant for applications

Segregated Runge–Kutta time integration of convection-stabilized mixed finite element schemes for wall-unresolved LES of incompressible flows

In this work, we develop a high-performance numerical framework for the large eddy simulation (LES) of incompressible flows. The spatial discretization of the nonlinear system is carried out using mixed finite element (FE) schemes supplemented with symmetric projection stabilization of the convective term and a penalty term for the divergence constraint. These additional terms introduced at the discrete level have been proved to act as implicit LES models. In order to perform meaningful wall-unresolved simulations, we consider a weak imposition of the boundary conditions using a Nitsche’s-type scheme, where the tangential component penalty term is designed to act as a wall law. Next, segregated Runge–Kutta (SRK) schemes (recently proposed by the authors for laminar flow problems) are applied to the LES simulation of turbulent flows. By the introduction of a penalty term on the trace of the acceleration, these methods exhibit excellent stability properties for both implicit and explicit treatment of the convective terms. SRK schemes are excellent for large-scale simulations, since they reduce the computational cost of the linear system solves by splitting velocity and pressure computations at the time integration level, leading to two uncoupled systems. The pressure system is a Darcy-type problem that can easily be preconditioned using a traditional block-preconditioning scheme that only requires a Poisson solver. At the end, only coercive systems have to be solved, which can be effectively preconditioned by multilevel domain decomposition schemes, which are both optimal and scalable. The framework is applied to the Taylor–Green and turbulent channel flow benchmarks in order to prove the accuracy of the convection-stabilized mixed FEs as LES models and SRK time integrators. The scalability of the preconditioning techniques (in space only) has also been proven for one step of the SRK scheme for the Taylor–Green flow using uniform meshes. Moreover, a turbulent flow around a NACA profile is solved to show the applicability of the proposed algorithms for a realistic problem.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Partitioning strategies for the interaction of a fluid with a poroelastic material based on a Nitsche's coupling approach

We develop a computational model to study the interaction of a fluid with a poroelastic material. The coupling of Stokes and Biot equations represents a prototype problem for these phenomena, which feature multiple facets. On one hand it shares common traits with fluid-structure interaction. On the other hand it resembles the Stokes-Darcy coupling. For these reasons, the numerical simulation of the Stokes-Biot coupled system is a challenging task. The need of large memory storage and the difficulty to characterize appropriate solvers and related preconditioners are typical shortcomings of classical discretization methods applied to this problem. The application of loosely coupled time advancing schemes mitigates these issues because it allows to solve each equation of the system independently with respect to the others. In this work we develop and thoroughly analyze a loosely coupled scheme for Stokes-Biot equations. The scheme is based on Nitsche's method for enforcing interface conditions. Once the interface operators corresponding to the interface conditions have been defined, time lagging allows us to build up a loosely coupled scheme with good stability properties. The stability of the scheme is guaranteed provided that appropriate stabilization operators are introduced into the variational formulation of each subproblem. The error of the resulting method is also analyzed, showing that splitting the equations pollutes the optimal approximation properties of the underlying discretization schemes. In order to restore good approximation properties, while maintaining the computational efficiency of the loosely coupled approach, we consider the application of the loosely coupled scheme as a preconditioner for the monolithic approach. Both theoretical insight and numerical results confirm that this is a promising way to develop efficient solvers for the problem at hand

Robust Monolithic Solvers for the Stokes--Darcy Problem with the Darcy Equation in Primal Form

We construct mesh-independent and parameter-robust monolithic solvers for the coupled primal Stokes--Darcy problem. Three different formulations and their discretizations in terms of conforming and nonconforming finite element methods and finite volume methods are considered. In each case, robust preconditioners are derived using a unified theoretical framework. In particular, the suggested preconditioners utilize operators in fractional Sobolev spaces. Numerical experiments demonstrate the parameter-robustness of the proposed solvers.publishedVersio

Uzawa smoother in multigrid for the coupled porous medium and Stokes flow system

The multigrid solution of coupled porous media and Stokes flow problems is considered. The Darcy equation as the saturated porous medium model is coupled to the Stokes equations by means of appropriate interface conditions. We focus on an efficient multigrid solution technique for the coupled problem, which is discretized by finite volumes on staggered grids, giving rise to a saddle point linear system. Special treatment is required regarding the discretization at the interface. An Uzawa smoother is employed in multigrid, which is a decoupled procedure based on symmetric Gauss--Seidel smoothing for velocity components and a simple Richardson iteration for the pressure field. Since a relaxation parameter is part of a Richardson iteration, local Fourier analysis is applied to determine the optimal parameters. Highly satisfactory multigrid convergence is reported, and, moreover, the algorithm performs very well for small values of the hydraulic conductivity and fluid viscosity, which are relevant for applications

An embedded-hybridized discontinuous Galerkin method for the coupled Stokes-Darcy system

We introduce an embedded-hybridized discontinuous Galerkin (EDG-HDG) method for the coupled Stokes-Darcy system. This EDG-HDG method is a pointwise mass-conserving discretization resulting in a divergence-conforming velocity field on the whole domain. In the proposed scheme, coupling between the Stokes and Darcy domains is achieved naturally through the EDG-HDG facet variables. \emph{A priori} error analysis shows optimal convergence rates, and that the velocity error does not depend on the pressure. The error analysis is verified through numerical examples on unstructured grids for different orders of polynomial approximation