Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “numerical schemes”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 811 records · Page 45

Higher-Order Methods for Compressible Turbulent Flows Using Entropy Variables

Turbulent flows have a large range of spatial and temporal scales which need to be resolved in order to obtain accurate predictions. Higher-order methods can provide greater efficiency for simulations requiring high spatial and temporal resolution, allowing for solutions with fewer degrees of freedom and lower computational cost than traditional second-order computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods.1 Higher-order methods have been widely used for turbulent flows. However, the reduced numerical stabilization present in higher-order schemes implies that special care needs to be taken in the development of numerical methods to suppress nonlinear instabilities.2–6 In this work we present the development of a higher-order space-time discontinuous Galerkin method with a focus on the aspects of our numerical scheme required for ensuring nonlinear stability for turbulent simulations at high Reynolds numbers.

Diosady, Laslo T.↗

Basic numerical methods

Some of the basic finite-difference schemes that can be used to solve the nonlinear equations that describe unsteady inviscid and viscous transonic flow are reviewed. Numerical schemes for solving the unsteady Euler and Navier-Stokes, boundary-layer, and nonlinear potential equations are described. Emphasis is given to the elementary ideas used in constructing various numerical procedures, not specific details of any one procedure.

Steger, Joseph L.↗

Upwind second-order difference schemes and applications in unsteady aerodynamic flows

Explicit second-order upwind difference schemes in combination with spatially symmetric schemes can produce larger stability bounds and better numerical resolution than symmetric schemes alone. However, if conservation form is essential, a special operator is required for transition between schemes. An operational approach has been devised for deriving transition operators so that strict conservation and local consistency are maintained. Various aspects of hybrid schemes are studied numerically for model linear and nonlinear equations. To demonstrate the utility of combining two different algorithms, MacCormack's explicit, noncentered, second-order method is combined with a completely upwind version, and numerical solutions of the Euler equations are obtained for two-dimensional, transonic flows with embedded supersonic regions and shock waves. The general utility of the operational approach for combining schemes is emphasized by deriving a second-order conservative scheme for the steady transonic small-disturbance potential equation.

Warming, R. F.↗

On the Dynamics of Computing a Chemically Relaxed Nonequilibrium Flow

In order to gain insights into the strong dependence of numerical solutions on initial data for finite time steps, a set of nonlinear test problems rich enough to capture the behavior of difference schemes were recently identified and the numerical basins of attraction for these problems were computed using commonly used time discretizations in CFD. Our study revealed a wealth of surprisingly nonlinear behavior of numerical schemes that were not observed before, in particular for the implicit time discretizations that are commonly used in CFD. The goal of this work is to apply these tools to study a practical model from non-equilibrium flowfield relaxation. This type of problem arises in chemically nonequilibrium hypersonic flows such as in a shock tube experiment or an expanding nozzle. Here we consider a reacting mixture of (N2, N) for an inviscid one-dimensional steady model. Preliminary numerical results indicate that, aside from the possibility of spurious numerical solutions being introduced by the time discretizations, limitations on the model for physical or accurate solutions may also play a part in the dynamics observed.

Sweby, P. K.↗

CONDIF - A modified central-difference scheme with unconditional stability and very low numerical diffusion

This paper describes a method, called CONDIF, which retains the essential nature of the central difference scheme (CDS) but eliminates the over- and under-shoots. It modifies the CDS by introducing a controlled amount of numerical diffusion based on local gradients. The results obtained for a number of test problems show that the CONDIF is significantly more accurate than the hybrid scheme when the Peclet number is very high and the flow is at large angles to the grid. In the worst case, it yields results similar to those of the hybrid scheme. Though the CONDIF is unconditionally stable, under some conditions the rate of convergence deteriorates as the grid Peclet number is increased. Efforts are currently underway to develop a faster converging variation of CONDIF.

Runchal, Akshai K.↗

High-Order Implicit-Explicit Multi-Block Time-stepping Method for Hyperbolic PDEs

This work seeks to explore and improve the current time-stepping schemes used in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in order to reduce overall computational time. A high-order scheme has been developed using a combination of implicit and explicit (IMEX) time-stepping Runge-Kutta (RK) schemes which increases numerical stability with respect to the time step size, resulting in decreased computational time. The IMEX scheme alone does not yield the desired increase in numerical stability, but when used in conjunction with an overlapping partitioned (multi-block) domain significant increase in stability is observed. To show this, the Overlapping-Partition IMEX (OP IMEX) scheme is applied to both one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) problems, the nonlinear viscous Burger's equation and 2D advection equation, respectively. The method uses two different summation by parts (SBP) derivative approximations, second-order and fourth-order accurate. The Dirichlet boundary conditions are imposed using the Simultaneous Approximation Term (SAT) penalty method. The 6-stage additive Runge-Kutta IMEX time integration schemes are fourth-order accurate in time. An increase in numerical stability 65 times greater than the fully explicit scheme is demonstrated to be achievable with the OP IMEX method applied to 1D Burger's equation. Results from the 2D, purely convective, advection equation show stability increases on the order of 10 times the explicit scheme using the OP IMEX method. Also, the domain partitioning method in this work shows potential for breaking the computational domain into manageable sizes such that implicit solutions for full three-dimensional CFD simulations can be computed using direct solving methods rather than the standard iterative methods currently used.

Nielsen, Tanner B.↗

On the Dynamics of TVD Schemes

The dynamics of a class of TVD schemes for model hyperbolic and parabolic equations is studied numerically using a highly parallel supercomputer (CM-5). The objective is to utilize the highly parallel property of the CM-5 to reveal the reliable time step and entropy parameter ranges, and the degree of compressible flux limiters to avoid slow convergence and the production of nonphysical numerical solutions. We choose to study the nonlinear stability property of TVD schemes numerically since it is otherwise not amenable analytically.

Yee, H. C.↗

Upwind and symmetric shock-capturing schemes

The development of numerical methods for hyperbolic conservation laws has been a rapidly growing area for the last ten years. Many of the fundamental concepts and state-of-the-art developments can only be found in meeting proceedings or internal reports. This review paper attempts to give an overview and a unified formulation of a class of shock-capturing methods. Special emphasis is on the construction of the basic nonlinear scalar second-order schemes and the methods of extending these nonlinear scalar schemes to nonlinear systems via the extact Riemann solver, approximate Riemann solvers, and flux-vector splitting approaches. Generalization of these methods to efficiently include real gases and large systems of nonequilibrium flows is discussed. The performance of some of these schemes is illustrated by numerical examples for one-, two- and three-dimensional gas dynamics problems.

Yee, H. C.↗

Triangle based TVD schemes for hyperbolic conservation laws

A triangle based total variation diminishing (TVD) scheme for the numerical approximation of hyperbolic conservation laws in two space dimensions is constructed. The novelty of the scheme lies in the nature of the preprocessing of the cell averaged data, which is accomplished via a nearest neighbor linear interpolation followed by a slope limiting procedures. Two such limiting procedures are suggested. The resulting method is considerably more simple than other triangle based non-oscillatory approximations which, like this scheme, approximate the flux up to second order accuracy. Numerical results for linear advection and Burgers' equation are presented.

Durlofsky, Louis J.↗

Triangle based adaptive stencils for the solution of hyperbolic conservation laws

A triangle based total variation diminishing (TVD) scheme for the numerical approximation of hyperbolic conservation laws in two space dimensions is constructed. The novelty of the scheme lies in the nature of the preprocessing of the cell averaged data, which is accomplished via a nearest neighbor linear interpolation followed by a slope limiting procedures. Two such limiting procedures are suggested. The resulting method is considerably more simple than other triangle based non-oscillatory approximations which, like this scheme, approximate the flux up to second order accuracy. Numerical results for linear advection and Burgers' equation are presented.

Durlofsky, Louis J.↗

Numerical tests of a modified full implicit continuous Eulerian (FICE) scheme with projected normal characteristic boundary conditions for MHD flows

A numerical method has been developed based on a modified full implicit continuous Eulerian (FICE) scheme and projected normal characteristic boundary conditions for simulating MHD flows which undergo a long process of evolution. An astrophysical flow is chosen for illustration of this procedure, and numerical tests are made to verify the computational stability and physically realistic solution. Three computational tests have been accomplished; they are tests of solving methods, characteristic boundary condition, and time steps. The tests show that the program from the modified FICE scheme with proper boundary conditions and time steps can be made numerically stable for a time long enough to obtain physically plausible solutions.

Wu, S. T.↗

Machine Learned Empirical Numerical Integrator from Simulated Data

Recently, a number of state-of-the-art surrogate machine learning (ML) models have been designed for global weather and climate prediction, which have been trained using reanalysis data products. Reanalysis data products are constructed using numerical model simulations that combine numerical integration of partial differential equations and parameterization schemes. These products are typically only archived and made available using coarsened spatial and temporal resolutions. This study explores the impact of the numerical generation methods used to produce the training datasets and the temporal resolution of those datasets on machine learning surrogate models. Using the nonlinear vector autoregression (NVAR) machine as an explainable ML technique, simple dynamical systems are emulated with ML models trained on data produced by three classical numerical integration schemes. NVAR is validated as a skillful ML method, capable of producing accurate predictions and, more importantly, reconstructing both the underlying dynamics and the numerical integration scheme used to generate the training data. However, the machine fails to generalize predictions on unseen test data generated by different numerical integration schemes, despite the underlying dynamical system being the same. This result provides a word of caution for the growing field of machine learning emulation of weather and climate dynamics. Furthermore, we illustrate using NVAR that training on temporally coarsened data may increase the required complexity of ML models and potentially introduce new numerical challenges. Finally, we discover that empirical integration schemes with arbitrary time-stepping sizes can be constructed directly from the data, which implies a potential for the development of empirical numerical integration schemes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Accurate Monotonicity - Preserving Schemes With Runge-Kutta Time Stepping

A new class of high-order monotonicity-preserving schemes for the numerical solution of conservation laws is presented. The interface value in these schemes is obtained by limiting a higher-order polynominal reconstruction. The limiting is designed to preserve accuracy near extrema and to work well with Runge-Kutta time stepping. Computational efficiency is enhanced by a simple test that determines whether the limiting procedure is needed. For linear advection in one dimension, these schemes are shown as well as the Euler equations also confirm their high accuracy, good shock resolution, and computational efficiency.

Suresh, A.↗

Supersonic combusting flow - A comparison of numerical and experimental results

The flow field of an unconfined coaxial supersonic burner (SSB) was obtained numerically, using a CFD code. The explicit MacCormack algorithm, with point implicit treatment of chemistry source terms, was employed in the CFD code. Combustion of hydrogen and air was simulated by a two-step finite-rate combustion model whereas turbulence was accounted for by a Prandtl mixing length scheme. Boundary conditions and some important features of the numerical scheme were discussed. The qualitative features of the numerical solution were compared with those obtained by regular as well as schlieren photographs. General agreements of the CFD solution and the experimental photographs were observed.

Chitsomboon, T.↗

A numerical study of a class of TVD schemes for compressible mixing layers

At high Mach numbers the two-dimensional time-developing mixing layer develops shock waves, positioned around large-scale vortical structures. A suitable numerical method has to be able to capture the inherent instability of the flow, leading to the roll-up of vortices, and also must be able to capture shock waves when they develop. Standard schemes for low speed turbulent flows, for example spectral methods, rely on resolution of all flow-features and cannot handle shock waves, which become too thin at any realistic Reynolds number. The performance of a class of second-order explicit total variation diminishing (TVD) schemes on a compressible mixing layer problem was studied. The basic idea is to capture the physics of the flow correctly, by resolving down to the smallest turbulent length scales, without resorting to turbulence or sub-grid scale modeling, and at the same time capture shock waves without spurious oscillations. The present study indicates that TVD schemes can capture the shocks accurately when they form, but (without resorting to a finer grid) have poor accuracy in computing the vortex growth. The solution accuracy depends on the choice of limiter. However a larger number of grid points are in general required to resolve the correct vortex growth. The low accuracy in computing time-dependent problems containing shock waves as well as vortical structures is partly due to the inherent shock-capturing property of all TVD schemes. In order to capture shock waves without spurious oscillations these schemes reduce to first-order near extrema and indirectly produce clipping phenomena, leading to inaccuracy in the computation of vortex growth. Accurate simulation of unsteady turbulent fluid flows with shock waves will require further development of efficient, uniformly higher than second-order accurate, shock-capturing methods.

Sandham, N. D.↗

The upwind control volume scheme for unstructured triangular grids

A new algorithm for the numerical solution of the Euler equations is presented. This algorithm is particularly suited to the use of unstructured triangular meshes, allowing geometric flexibility. Solutions are second-order accurate in the steady state. Implementation of the algorithm requires minimal grid connectivity information, resulting in modest storage requirements, and should enhance the implementation of the scheme on massively parallel computers. A novel form of upwind differencing is developed, and is shown to yield sharp resolution of shocks. Two new artificial viscosity models are introduced that enhance the performance of the new scheme. Numerical results for transonic airfoil flows are presented, which demonstrate the performance of the algorithm.

Giles, Michael↗

Numerical problems in the advection of pollutants

Prediction of pollutant transport involves solution of the advection equation numerically. Truncation errors arising from integrating the advection equation by using finite difference schemes are discussed. Numerical errors manifest themselves in artificial dissipation and dispersion of pollutants. Criteria for measuring the dissipation and dispersion are presented, and minimization of those errors is discussed. An alternative procedure by integration in the wavenumber space is examined. Examples illustrating quantitative discrepancy in actual forecasting are also shown.

Liu, C. Y.↗