More efficient time integration for Fourier pseudo-spectral DNS of incompressible turbulence

Time integration of Fourier pseudo-spectral DNS is usually performed using the classical fourth-order accurate Runge--Kutta method, or other methods of second or third order, with a fixed step size. We investigate the use of higher-order Runge-Kutta pairs and automatic step size control based on local error estimation. We find that the fifth-order accurate Runge--Kutta pair of Bogacki \& Shampine gives much greater accuracy at a significantly reduced computational cost. Specifically, we demonstrate speedups of 2x-10x for the same accuracy. Numerical tests (including the Taylor-Green vortex, Rayleigh-Taylor instability, and homogeneous isotropic turbulence) confirm the reliability and efficiency of the method. We also show that adaptive time stepping provides a significant computational advantage for some problems (like the development of a Rayleigh-Taylor instability) without compromising accuracy

Continuous variable stepsize explicit pseudo two-step RK methods

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to apply a class of constant stepsize explicit pseudo two-step Runge-Kutta methods of arbitrarily high order to nonstiff problems for systems of first-order differential equations with variable stepsize strategy. Embedded formulas are provided for giving a cheap error estimate used in stepsize control. Continuous approximation formulas are also considered for use in an eventual implementation of the methods with dense output. By a few widely used test problems, we compare the efficiency of two pseudo two-step Runge-Kutta methods of orders 5 and 8 with the codes DOPRI5, DOP853 and PIRK8. This comparison shows that in terms of ƒ-evaluations on a parallel computer, these two pseudo two-step Runge-Kutta methods are a factor ranging from 3 to 8 cheaper than DOPRI5, DOP853 and PIRK8. Even in a sequential implementation mode, fifth-order new method beats DOPRI5 by a factor more than 1.5 with stringent error tolerances

Spatially partitioned embedded Runge-Kutta Methods

We study spatially partitioned embedded Runge–Kutta (SPERK) schemes for partial differential equations (PDEs), in which each of the component schemes is applied over a different part of the spatial domain. Such methods may be convenient for problems in which the smoothness of the solution or the magnitudes of the PDE coefficients vary strongly in space. We focus on embedded partitioned methods as they offer greater efficiency and avoid the order reduction that may occur in non-embedded schemes. We demonstrate that the lack of conservation in partitioned schemes can lead to non-physical effects and propose conservative additive schemes based on partitioning the fluxes rather than the ordinary differential equations. A variety of SPERK schemes are presented, including an embedded pair suitable for the time evolution of fifth-order weighted non-oscillatory (WENO) spatial discretizations. Numerical experiments are provided to support the theory

Cosmological simulations of screened modified gravity out of the static approximation: effects on matter distribution

In the context of scalar tensor theories for gravity, there is a universally adopted hypothesis when running N-body simulations that time derivatives in the equation of motion for the scalar field are negligible. In this work we propose to test this assumption for one specific scalar-tensor model with a gravity screening mechanism: the symmetron. To this end, we implemented the necessary modifications to include the non-static terms in the N-body code Ramses. We present test cases and results from cosmological simulations. Our main finding when comparing static vs. non-static simulations is that the global power spectrum is only slightly modified when taking into account the inclusion of non-static terms. On the contrary, we find that the calculation of the local power spectrum gives different measurements. Such results imply one must be careful when assuming the quasi-static approximation when investigating the environmental effects of modified gravity and screening mechanisms in structure formation of halos and voids distributions.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, matches version accepted for publication in PR

Three-dimensional CFD simulations with large displacement of the geometries using a connectivity-change moving mesh approach

This paper deals with three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulations involving 3D moving geometries with large displacements on unstructured meshes. Such simulations are of great value to industry, but remain very time-consuming. A robust moving mesh algorithm coupling an elasticity-like mesh deformation solution and mesh optimizations was proposed in previous works, which removes the need for global remeshing when performing large displacements. The optimizations, and in particular generalized edge/face swapping, preserve the initial quality of the mesh throughout the simulation. We propose to integrate an Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian compressible flow solver into this process to demonstrate its capabilities in a full CFD computation context. This solver relies on a local enforcement of the discrete geometric conservation law to preserve the order of accuracy of the time integration. The displacement of the geometries is either imposed, or driven by fluid–structure interaction (FSI). In the latter case, the six degrees of freedom approach for rigid bodies is considered. Finally, several 3D imposed-motion and FSI examples are given to validate the proposed approach, both in academic and industrial configurations

Improved shock-capturing of Jameson's scheme for the Euler equations

It is known that Jameson's scheme is a pseudo-second-order-accurate scheme for solving discrete conservation laws. The scheme contains a non-linear artificial dissipative flux which is designed to capture shocks. In this paper, it is shown that the, shock-capturing of Jameson's scheme for the Euler equations can be improved by replacing the Lax-Friedrichs' type of dissipative flux with Roe's dissipative flux. This replacement is at a moderate expense of the calculation time