FR3D: Three-dimensional Flow Reconstruction and Force Estimation for
Unsteady Flows Around Extruded Bluff Bodies via Conformal Mapping Aided
Convolutional Autoencoders
In many practical fluid dynamics experiments, measuring variables such as
velocity and pressure is possible only at a limited number of sensor locations,
\textcolor{black}{for a few two-dimensional planes, or for a small 3D domain in
the flow}. However, knowledge of the full fields is necessary to understand the
dynamics of many flows. Deep learning reconstruction of full flow fields from
sparse measurements has recently garnered significant research interest, as a
way of overcoming this limitation. This task is referred to as the flow
reconstruction (FR) task. In the present study, we propose a convolutional
autoencoder based neural network model, dubbed FR3D, which enables FR to be
carried out for three-dimensional flows around extruded 3D objects with
different cross-sections. An innovative mapping approach, whereby multiple
fluid domains are mapped to an annulus, enables FR3D to generalize its
performance to objects not encountered during training. We conclusively
demonstrate this generalization capability using a dataset composed of 80
training and 20 testing geometries, all randomly generated. We show that the
FR3D model reconstructs pressure and velocity components with a few percentage
points of error. Additionally, using these predictions, we accurately estimate
the Q-criterion fields as well lift and drag forces on the geometries.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figures. Accepted at International Journal of Heat and
Fluid Flo