A kinetic formulation for multidimensional scalar conservation laws with boundary conditions and applications

International audienceWe state a kinetic formulation of weak entropy solutions of a general multidimensional scalar conservation law with initial and boundary conditions. We first associate with any weak entropy solution a entropy defect measure; the analysis of this measure at the boundary of the domain relies on the study of weak entropy sub and supersolutions and implies the introduction of the notion of sided boundary defect measures. As a first application, we prove that any weak entropy subsolution of the initial-boundary value problem is bounded above by any weak entropy supersolution (Comparison Theorem). We next study a BGK-like kinetic model that approximates the scalar conservation law. We prove that such a model converges by adapting the proof of the Comparison Theorem

Particle dynamics inside shocks in Hamilton-Jacobi equations

Characteristics of a Hamilton-Jacobi equation can be seen as action minimizing trajectories of fluid particles. For nonsmooth "viscosity" solutions, which give rise to discontinuous velocity fields, this description is usually pursued only up to the moment when trajectories hit a shock and cease to minimize the Lagrangian action. In this paper we show that for any convex Hamiltonian there exists a uniquely defined canonical global nonsmooth coalescing flow that extends particle trajectories and determines dynamics inside the shocks. We also provide a variational description of the corresponding effective velocity field inside shocks, and discuss relation to the "dissipative anomaly" in the limit of vanishing viscosity.Comment: 15 pages, no figures; to appear in Philos. Trans. R. Soc. series

A theory of L1L^1-dissipative solvers for scalar conservation laws with discontinuous flux

We propose a general framework for the study of $L^1$ contractive semigroups of solutions to conservation laws with discontinuous flux. Developing the ideas of a number of preceding works we claim that the whole admissibility issue is reduced to the selection of a family of "elementary solutions", which are certain piecewise constant stationary weak solutions. We refer to such a family as a "germ". It is well known that (CL) admits many different $L^1$ contractive semigroups, some of which reflects different physical applications. We revisit a number of the existing admissibility (or entropy) conditions and identify the germs that underly these conditions. We devote specific attention to the anishing viscosity" germ, which is a way to express the "$\Gamma$-condition" of Diehl. For any given germ, we formulate "germ-based" admissibility conditions in the form of a trace condition on the flux discontinuity line $x=0$ (in the spirit of Vol'pert) and in the form of a family of global entropy inequalities (following Kruzhkov and Carrillo). We characterize those germs that lead to the $L^1$-contraction property for the associated admissible solutions. Our approach offers a streamlined and unifying perspective on many of the known entropy conditions, making it possible to recover earlier uniqueness results under weaker conditions than before, and to provide new results for other less studied problems. Several strategies for proving the existence of admissible solutions are discussed, and existence results are given for fluxes satisfying some additional conditions. These are based on convergence results either for the vanishing viscosity method (with standard viscosity or with specific viscosities "adapted" to the choice of a germ), or for specific germ-adapted finite volume schemes

Mathematical Models of Incompressible Fluids as Singular Limits of Complete Fluid Systems

A rigorous justification of several well-known mathematical models of incompressible fluid flows can be given in terms of singular limits of the scaled Navier-Stokes-Fourier system, where some of the characteristic numbers become small or large enough. We discuss the problem in the framework of global-in-time solutions for both the primitive and the target system. © 2010 Springer Basel AG

Very Singular Diffusion Equations-Second and Fourth Order Problems

This paper studies singular diffusion equations whose diffusion effect is so strong that the speed of evolution becomes a nonlocal quantity. Typical examples include the total variation flow as well as crystalline flow which are formally of second order. This paper includes fourth order models which are less studied compared with second order models. A typical example of this model is an H−1 gradient flow of total variation. It turns out that such a flow is quite different from the second order total variation flow. For example, we prove that the solution may instantaneously develop jump discontinuity for the fourth order total variation flow by giving an explicit example

Methodology of Plasma Shape Reachability Area Estimation in D-Shaped Tokamaks

This paper suggests and develops a new methodology of estimation for a multivariable reachability region of a plasma separatrix shape on the divertor phase of a plasma discharge in D-shaped tokamaks. The methodology is applied to a spherical Globus-M/M2 tokamak, including the estimation of a controllability region of a vertical unstable plasma position on the basis of the experimental data. An assessment of the controllability region and the reachability region of the plasma is important for the design of tokamak poloidal field coils and the synthesis of a plasma magnetic control system. When designing a D-shaped tokamak, it is necessary to avoid the small controllability region of the vertically unstable plasma, because such cases occur in practice at a restricted voltage on a horizon field coil. To make the estimations mentioned above robust, PID-controllers for vertical and horizontal plasma position control were designed using the Quantitative Feedback Theory approach, which stabilizes the system and provides satisfactory control indexes (stability margins, setting time, overshoot) during plasma discharges. The controllers were tested on a series of plasma models and nonlinear models of current inverters in auto-oscillation mode as actuators for plasma position control. The estimations were made on these models, taking into account limitations on control actions, i.e., voltages on poloidal field coils. This research is the first step in the design of the plasma shape feedback control system for the operation of the Globus-M2 spherical tokamak. The developed methodology may be used in the design of poloidal field coil systems in tokamak projects in order to avoid weak achievability and controllability regions in magnetic plasma control. It was found that there is a strong cross-influence from the PF-coils currents and the CC current on the plasma shape; hence, these coils should be used to control the plasma shape simultaneously