Runge-Kutta projection methods with low dispersion and dissipation errors

In this paper new one-step methods that combine Runge–Kutta (RK) formulae with a suitable projection after the step are proposed for the numerical solution of Initial Value Problems. The aim of this projection is to preserve some first integral in the numerical integration. In contrast with standard orthogonal projection, the direction of the projection at each step is obtained from another suitable embed- ded formula so that the overall method is affine invariant. A study of the local errors of these projection methods is carried out, showing that by choosing proper embedded formulae the order can be increased for the harmonic oscillator. Particular embedded formulae for the third order method by Bogacki and Shampine (BS3) are provided. Some criteria to get appropriate dynamical directions for general problems as well as sufficient conditions that ensure the existence of RK methods embedded in BS3 according to them are given. Finally, some numerical experiments to test the behaviour of the new projection methods are presented

A Discontinuous Galerkin Method for Ideal Two-Fluid Plasma Equations

A discontinuous Galerkin method for the ideal 5 moment two-fluid plasma system is presented. The method uses a second or third order discontinuous Galerkin spatial discretization and a third order TVD Runge-Kutta time stepping scheme. The method is benchmarked against an analytic solution of a dispersive electron acoustic square pulse as well as the two-fluid electromagnetic shock and existing numerical solutions to the GEM challenge magnetic reconnection problem. The algorithm can be generalized to arbitrary geometries and three dimensions. An approach to maintaining small gauge errors based on error propagation is suggested.Comment: 40 pages, 18 figures

von Neumann Stability Analysis of Globally Constraint-Preserving DGTD and PNPM Schemes for the Maxwell Equations using Multidimensional Riemann Solvers

The time-dependent equations of computational electrodynamics (CED) are evolved consistent with the divergence constraints. As a result, there has been a recent effort to design finite volume time domain (FVTD) and discontinuous Galerkin time domain (DGTD) schemes that satisfy the same constraints and, nevertheless, draw on recent advances in higher order Godunov methods. This paper catalogues the first step in the design of globally constraint-preserving DGTD schemes. The algorithms presented here are based on a novel DG-like method that is applied to a Yee-type staggering of the electromagnetic field variables in the faces of the mesh. The other two novel building blocks of the method include constraint-preserving reconstruction of the electromagnetic fields and multidimensional Riemann solvers; both of which have been developed in recent years by the first author. We carry out a von Neumann stability analysis of the entire suite of DGTD schemes for CED at orders of accuracy ranging from second to fourth. A von Neumann stability analysis gives us the maximal CFL numbers that can be sustained by the DGTD schemes presented here at all orders. It also enables us to understand the wave propagation characteristics of the schemes in various directions on a Cartesian mesh. We find that the CFL of DGTD schemes decreases with increasing order. To counteract that, we also present constraint-preserving PNPM schemes for CED. We find that the third and fourth order constraint-preserving DGTD and P1PM schemes have some extremely attractive properties when it comes to low-dispersion, low-dissipation propagation of electromagnetic waves in multidimensions. Numerical accuracy tests are also provided to support the von Neumann stability analysis

Energy preserving turbulent simulations at a reduced computational cost

Energy-conserving discretizations are widely regarded as a fundamental requirement for high-fidelity simulations of turbulent flows. The skew-symmetric splitting of the nonlinear term is a well-known approach to obtain semi-discrete conservation of energy in the inviscid limit. However, its computation is roughly twice as expensive as that of the divergence or advective forms alone. A novel time-advancement strategy that retains the conservation properties of skew-symmetric-based schemes at a reduced computational cost has been developed. This method is based on properly constructed Runge–Kutta schemes in which a different form (advective or divergence) for the convective term is adopted at each stage. A general framework is presented to derive schemes with prescribed accuracy on both solution and energy conservation. Simulations of homogeneous isotropic turbulence show that the new procedure is effective and can be considerably faster than skew-symmetric-based techniques.Postprint (published version

Hybrid Spectral Difference/Embedded Finite Volume Method for Conservation Laws

A novel hybrid spectral difference/embedded finite volume method is introduced in order to apply a discontinuous high-order method for large scale engineering applications involving discontinuities in the flows with complex geometries. In the proposed hybrid approach, the finite volume (FV) element, consisting of structured FV subcells, is embedded in the base hexahedral element containing discontinuity, and an FV based high-order shock-capturing scheme is employed to overcome the Gibbs phenomena. Thus, a discontinuity is captured at the resolution of FV subcells within an embedded FV element. In the smooth flow region, the SD element is used in the base hexahedral element. Then, the governing equations are solved by the SD method. The SD method is chosen for its low numerical dissipation and computational efficiency preserving high-order accurate solutions. The coupling between the SD element and the FV element is achieved by the globally conserved mortar method. In this paper, the 5th-order WENO scheme with the characteristic decomposition is employed as the shock-capturing scheme in the embedded FV element, and the 5th-order SD method is used in the smooth flow field. The order of accuracy study and various 1D and 2D test cases are carried out, which involve the discontinuities and vortex flows. Overall, it is shown that the proposed hybrid method results in comparable or better simulation results compared with the standalone WENO scheme when the same number of solution DOF is considered in both SD and FV elements.Comment: 27 pages, 17 figures, 2 tables, Accepted for publication in the Journal of Computational Physics, April 201