An overlapped grid method for multigrid, finite volume/difference flow solvers: MaGGiE

The objective is to develop a domain decomposition method via overlapping/embedding the component grids, which is to be used by upwind, multi-grid, finite volume solution algorithms. A computer code, given the name MaGGiE (Multi-Geometry Grid Embedder) is developed to meet this objective. MaGGiE takes independently generated component grids as input, and automatically constructs the composite mesh and interpolation data, which can be used by the finite volume solution methods with or without multigrid convergence acceleration. Six demonstrative examples showing various aspects of the overlap technique are presented and discussed. These cases are used for developing the procedure for overlapping grids of different topologies, and to evaluate the grid connection and interpolation data for finite volume calculations on a composite mesh. Time fluxes are transferred between mesh interfaces using a trilinear interpolation procedure. Conservation losses are minimal at the interfaces using this method. The multi-grid solution algorithm, using the coaser grid connections, improves the convergence time history as compared to the solution on composite mesh without multi-gridding

A Nitsche-based cut finite element method for a fluid--structure interaction problem

We present a new composite mesh finite element method for fluid--structure interaction problems. The method is based on surrounding the structure by a boundary-fitted fluid mesh which is embedded into a fixed background fluid mesh. The embedding allows for an arbitrary overlap of the fluid meshes. The coupling between the embedded and background fluid meshes is enforced using a stabilized Nitsche formulation which allows us to establish stability and optimal order \emph{a priori} error estimates, see~\cite{MassingLarsonLoggEtAl2013}. We consider here a steady state fluid--structure interaction problem where a hyperelastic structure interacts with a viscous fluid modeled by the Stokes equations. We evaluate an iterative solution procedure based on splitting and present three-dimensional numerical examples.Comment: Revised version, 18 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in CAMCo

Very high-order method on immersed curved domains for finite difference schemes with regular Cartesian grids

A new very high-order technique for solving conservation laws with curved boundary domains is proposed. A Finite Difference scheme on Cartesian grids is coupled with an original ghost cell method that provide accurate approximations for smooth solutions. The technology is based on a specific least square method with restrictions that enables to handle general Robin conditions. Several examples in two-dimensional geometries are presented for the unsteady Convection–Diffusion equation and the Euler equations. A fifth-order WENO scheme is employed with matching fifth-order reconstruction at the boundaries. Arbitrary high-order reconstruction for smooth flows is achievable independently of the underlying differential equation since the method works as a black-box dedicated to boundary condition treatment.This work has been partially supported by the Ministerio de Economı́a y Competitividad (grant #DPI2015- 68431-R) and #RTI2018-093366-B-I00 of the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades of the Spanish Government and by the Consellerı́a de Educación e Ordenación Universitaria of the Xunta de Galicia (grants #GRC2014/039 and #ED431C 2018/41), cofinanced with FEDER, Spain funds and the Universidade da Coruña, Spain. J. Fernandez-Fidalgo gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the IACOBUS Program, Spain and the INDITEX-UDC, Spain grant that have partially financed the present work. S. Clain acknowledges the financial support by FEDER – Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional, Portugal, through COMPETE 2020 – Programa Operational Fatores de Competitividade, and the National Funds through FCT — Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal, project No. UID/FIS/04650/2013 and project No. POCI-01-0145-FEDER-02811

Multi-Dimensional, Compressible Viscous Flow on a Moving Voronoi Mesh

Numerous formulations of finite volume schemes for the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations exist, but in the majority of cases they have been developed for structured and stationary meshes. In many applications, more flexible mesh geometries that can dynamically adjust to the problem at hand and move with the flow in a (quasi) Lagrangian fashion would, however, be highly desirable, as this can allow a significant reduction of advection errors and an accurate realization of curved and moving boundary conditions. Here we describe a novel formulation of viscous continuum hydrodynamics that solves the equations of motion on a Voronoi mesh created by a set of mesh-generating points. The points can move in an arbitrary manner, but the most natural motion is that given by the fluid velocity itself, such that the mesh dynamically adjusts to the flow. Owing to the mathematical properties of the Voronoi tessellation, pathological mesh-twisting effects are avoided. Our implementation considers the full Navier-Stokes equations and has been realized in the AREPO code both in 2D and 3D. We propose a new approach to compute accurate viscous fluxes for a dynamic Voronoi mesh, and use this to formulate a finite volume solver of the Navier-Stokes equations. Through a number of test problems, including circular Couette flow and flow past a cylindrical obstacle, we show that our new scheme combines good accuracy with geometric flexibility, and hence promises to be competitive with other highly refined Eulerian methods. This will in particular allow astrophysical applications of the AREPO code where physical viscosity is important, such as in the hot plasma in galaxy clusters, or for viscous accretion disk models.Comment: 26 pages, 21 figures. Submitted to MNRA

Geometry considerations for high-order finite-volume methods on structured grids with adaptive mesh refinement

2022 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is an invaluable tool for engineering design. Meshing complex geometries with accuracy and efficiency is vital to a CFD simulation. In particular, using structured grids with adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) will be invaluable to engineering optimization where automation is critical. For high-order (fourth-order and above) finite volume methods (FVMs), discrete representation of complex geometries adds extra challenges. High-order methods are not trivially extended to complex geometries of engineering interest. To accommodate geometric complexity with structured AMR in the context of high-order FVMs, this work aims to develop three new methods. First, a robust method is developed for bounding high-order interpolations between grid levels when using AMR. High-order interpolation is prone to numerical oscillations which can result in unphysical solutions. To overcome this, localized interpolation bounds are enforced while maintaining solution conservation. This method provides great flexibility in how refinement may be used in engineering applications. Second, a mapped multi-block technique is developed, capable of representing moderately complex geometries with structured grids. This method works with high-order FVMs while still enabling AMR and retaining strict solution conservation. This method interfaces with well-established engineering work flows for grid generation and interpolates generalized curvilinear coordinate transformations for each block. Solutions between blocks are then communicated by a generalized interpolation strategy while maintaining a single-valued flux. Finally, an embedded-boundary technique is developed for high-order FVMs. This method is particularly attractive since it automates mesh generation of any complex geometry. However, the algorithms on the resulting meshes require extra attention to achieve both stable and accurate results near boundaries. This is achieved by performing solution reconstructions using a weighted form of high-order interpolation that accounts for boundary geometry. These methods are verified, validated, and tested by complex configurations such as reacting flows in a bluff-body combustor and Stokes flows with complicated geometries. Results demonstrate the new algorithms are effective for solving complex geometries at high-order accuracy with AMR. This study contributes to advance the geometric capability in CFD for efficient and effective engineering applications

A new ghost cell/level set method for moving boundary problems:application to tumor growth

In this paper, we present a ghost cell/level set method for the evolution of interfaces whose normal velocity depend upon the solutions of linear and nonlinear quasi-steady reaction-diffusion equations with curvature-dependent boundary conditions. Our technique includes a ghost cell method that accurately discretizes normal derivative jump boundary conditions without smearing jumps in the tangential derivative; a new iterative method for solving linear and nonlinear quasi-steady reaction-diffusion equations; an adaptive discretization to compute the curvature and normal vectors; and a new discrete approximation to the Heaviside function. We present numerical examples that demonstrate better than 1.5-order convergence for problems where traditional ghost cell methods either fail to converge or attain at best sub-linear accuracy. We apply our techniques to a model of tumor growth in complex, heterogeneous tissues that consists of a nonlinear nutrient equation and a pressure equation with geometry-dependent jump boundary conditions. We simulate the growth of glioblastoma (an aggressive brain tumor) into a large, 1 cm square of brain tissue that includes heterogeneous nutrient delivery and varied biomechanical characteristics (white matter, gray matter, cerebrospinal fluid, and bone), and we observe growth morphologies that are highly dependent upon the variations of the tissue characteristics—an effect observed in real tumor growth

One- and Multi-dimensional CWENOZ Reconstructions for Implementing Boundary Conditions Without Ghost Cells

We address the issue of point value reconstructions from cell averages in the context of third-order finite volume schemes, focusing in particular on the cells close to the boundaries of the domain. In fact, most techniques in the literature rely on the creation of ghost cells outside the boundary and on some form of extrapolation from the inside that, taking into account the boundary conditions, fills the ghost cells with appropriate values, so that a standard reconstruction can be applied also in the boundary cells. In Naumann et al. (Appl. Math. Comput. 325: 252-270. https://doi.org110.1016/j.amc.2017.12.041, 2018), motivated by the difficulty of choosing appropriate boundary conditions at the internal nodes of a network, a different technique was explored that avoids the use of ghost cells, but instead employs for the boundary cells a different stencil, biased towards the interior of the domain. In this paper, extending that approach, which does not make use of ghost cells, we propose a more accurate reconstruction for the one-dimensional case and a two-dimensional one for Cartesian grids. In several numerical tests, we compare the novel reconstruction with the standard approach using ghost cells