Implementation of a low-mach number modification for high-order finite-volume schemes for arbitrary hybrid unstructured meshes

An implementation of a novel low-mach number treatment for high-order finite-volume schemes using arbitrary hybrid unstructured meshes is presented in this paper. Low-Mach order modifications for Godunov type finite-volume schemes have been implemented successfully for structured and unstructured meshes, however the methods break down for hybrid mesh topologies containing multiple element types. The modification is applied to the UCNS3D finite-volume framework for compressible flow configurations, which have been shown as very capable of handling any type of grid topology. The numerical methods under consideration are the Monotonic Upstream-Centered Scheme for Conservation Laws (MUSCL) and the Weighted Essentially Non-Oscillatory (WENO) schemes for two-dimensional mixed-element type unstructured meshes. In the present study the HLLC Approximate Riemann Solver is used with an explicit TVD Runge-Kutta 3rd-order method due to its excellent scalability. These schemes (up to 5th-order) are applied to well established two-dimensional and three-dimensional test cases. The challenges that occur when applying these methods to low-mach flow configurations is thoroughly analysed and possible improvements and further test cases are suggested

Spectral/hp element methods: recent developments, applications, and perspectives

The spectral/hp element method combines the geometric flexibility of the classical h-type finite element technique with the desirable numerical properties of spectral methods, employing high-degree piecewise polynomial basis functions on coarse finite element-type meshes. The spatial approximation is based upon orthogonal polynomials, such as Legendre or Chebychev polynomials, modified to accommodate C0-continuous expansions. Computationally and theoretically, by increasing the polynomial order p, high-precision solutions and fast convergence can be obtained and, in particular, under certain regularity assumptions an exponential reduction in approximation error between numerical and exact solutions can be achieved. This method has now been applied in many simulation studies of both fundamental and practical engineering flows. This paper briefly describes the formulation of the spectral/hp element method and provides an overview of its application to computational fluid dynamics. In particular, it focuses on the use the spectral/hp element method in transitional flows and ocean engineering. Finally, some of the major challenges to be overcome in order to use the spectral/hp element method in more complex science and engineering applications are discussed

Issures in Discontinuous High-Order Methods: Broadband Wave Computation and Viscous Boundary Layer Resolution

A new discontinuous formulation named Correction Procedure via Reconstruction (CPR) was developed for conservation laws. CPR is an efficient nodal differential formulation unifying the discontinuous Galerkin (DG), spectral volume (SV) and spectral difference (SD) methods, is easy to implement. In this thesis, we deal with two issues: the efficient computation of broadband waves, and the proper resolution of a viscous boundary layer with the high-order CPR method. A hybrid discontinuous space including polynomial and Fourier bases is employed in the CPR formulation in order to compute broad-band waves. The polynomial bases are used to achieve a certain order of accuracy, while the Fourier bases are able to exactly resolve waves at a certain frequency. Free-parameters introduced in the Fourier bases are optimized in order to minimize both dispersion and dissipation errors by mimicking the dispersion-relation-preserving (DRP) method for a one-dimensional wave problem. For the one-dimensional wave problem, the dispersion and dissipation properties and the optimization procedure are investigated through a wave propagation analysis. The optimization procedure is verified with a wave propagation analysis and several numerical tests. The two-dimensional wave behavior is investigated through a wave propagation analysis and the wave propagation properties are verified with a numerical test of the two-dimensional acoustic wave equation. In order to understand the mesh size requirement to resolve a viscous boundary layer using CPR method, grid resolution studies are performed. . It is well known that the mesh size, which is defined from non-dimensional wall distance y^+=1, gives accepted results to simulate viscous boundary layer problem for 2nd order finite volume method. For high-order CPR formulation, what grid size y^+ is required to match the results from the 2nd order finite volume method with y^+=1. 1D and 2D burger\u27s equation are used as the viscous boundary layer model problem. Skin friction is used as the indicator of accuracy for the resolution of a boundary layer. Keywords: (Correction Procedure via Reconstruction), A Hybrid Discontinuous Space, Wave Propagation Analysis, Grid Resolution Study, Method of Manufactured Solution

An adaptive quadrature-free implementation of the high-order spectral volume method on unstructured grids

An efficient implementation of the high-order spectral volume (SV) method is presented for multi-dimensional conservation laws on unstructured grids. In the SV method, each simplex cell is called a spectral volume (SV), and the SV is further subdivided into polygonal (2D), or polyhedral (3D) control volumes (CVs) to support high-order data reconstructions. In the traditional implementation, Gauss quadrature formulas are used to approximate the flux integrals on all faces. In the new approach, a nodal set is selected and used to reconstruct a high-order polynomial approximation for the flux vector, and then the flux integrals on the internal faces are computed analytically, without the need for Gauss quadrature formulas. This gives a significant advantage over the traditional SV method in efficiency and ease of implementation. Fundamental properties of the new SV implementation are studied and high-order accuracy is demonstrated for linear and nonlinear advection equations, and the Euler equations.;The new quadrature-free approach is then extended to handle local adaptive hp-refinement (grid and order refinement). Efficient edge-based adaptation utilizing a binary tree search algorithm is employed. Several different adaptation criteria which focus computational effort near high gradient regions are presented. Both h- and p-refinements are presented in a general framework where it is possible to perform either or both on any grid cell at any time. Several well-known inviscid flow test cases, subjected to various levels of adaptation, are utilized to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method.;An analysis of the accuracy and stability properties of the spectral volume (SV) method is then presented. The current work seeks to address the issue of stability, as well as polynomial quality, in the design of SV partitions. A new approach is presented, which efficiently locates stable partitions by means of constrained minimization. Once stable partitions are located, a high quality interpolation polynomial is then assured by subsequently minimizing the dissipation and dispersion errors of the stable partitions. Preliminary results are given which indicate this to be an effective method for use in the design of stable and highly accurate SV partitions of arbitrary order