Solution of the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations by the method of lines

The numerical method of lines (NUMOL) is a numerical technique used to solve efficiently partial differential equations. In this paper, the NUMOL is applied to the solution of the two‐dimensional unsteady Navier–Stokes equations for incompressible laminar flows in Cartesian coordinates. The Navier–Stokes equations are first discretized (in space) on a staggered grid as in the Marker and Cell scheme. The discretized Navier–Stokes equations form an index 2 system of differential algebraic equations, which are afterwards reduced to a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs), using the discretized form of the continuity equation. The pressure field is computed solving a discrete pressure Poisson equation. Finally, the resulting ODEs are solved using the backward differentiation formulas. The proposed method is illustrated with Dirichlet boundary conditions through applications to the driven cavity flow and to the backward facing step flow. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A promising boundary element formulation for three‐dimensional viscous flow

In this paper, a new set of boundary‐domain integral equations is derived from the continuity and momentum equations for three‐dimensional viscous flows. The primary variables involved in these integral equations are velocity, traction, and pressure. The final system of equations entering the iteration procedure only involves velocities and tractions as unknowns. In the use of the continuity equation, a complex‐variable technique is used to compute the divergence of velocity for internal points, while the traction‐recovery method is adopted for boundary points. Although the derived equations are valid for steady, unsteady, compressible, and incompressible problems, the numerical implementation is only focused on steady incompressible flows. Two commonly cited numerical examples and one practical pipe flow problem are presented to validate the derived equations. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A staggered control volume scheme for unstructured triangular grids

The purpose of this work is to introduce and validate a new staggered control volume method for the simulation of 2D/axisymmetric incompressible flows. The present study introduces a numerical procedure for solving the Navier–Stokes equations using the primitive variable formulation. The proposed method is an extension of the staggered grid methodology to unstructured triangular meshes for a control volume approach which features ease of handling of irregularly shaped domains. Two alternative elements are studied: transported scalars are stored either at the sides of an element or at its vertices, while the pressure is always stored at the centre of an element. Two interpolation functions were investigated for the integration of the momentum equations: a skewed mass-weighted upwind function and a flow-oriented exponential shape function. The momentum equations are solved over the covolume of a side or of a vertex and the pressure–velocity coupling makes use of a localized linear reconstruction of the discontinuous pressure field surrounding an element in order to obtain the pressure gradient terms. The pressure equation is obtained through a discretization of the continuity equation which uses the triangular element itself as the control volume. The method is applied to the simulation of the following test cases: backward-facing step flow, flow over a two-dimensional obstacle and flow in a pipe with sudden contraction of cross-sectional area. All numerical investigations are compared with experimental data from the literature. A grid convergence and error analysis study is also carried out for flow in a driven cavity. Results compared favourably with experimental data and so the new control volume scheme is deemed well suited for the prediction of incompressible flows in complex geometries. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improved CVP scheme for laminar incompressible flows

An improved scheme of the continuity vorticity pressure (CVP) variational equations method is presented. The changes from the original version of the CVP method concern the velocity and the pressure correction equations that are used in the solution procedure and the topology of the grid where the method is applied. The improved CVP scheme is faster, simpler and more stable than the original version of the method. The efficiency and the accuracy of the new scheme are tested and validated through comparison of predictions and of computational time, with numerical results obtained with the SIMPLE method. Moreover, we present extensive comparisons of the results of the improved CVP scheme with numerical and experimental data from various researchers that show excellent agreement for a wide range of benchmark 2D and 3D laminar internal flow problems such as flow over a backward facing step, flow in square, circular and elliptical curved ducts and pulsating flow. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wet/dry areas method for interfacial (free surface) flow

In this paper, a new numerical method is developed for two‐dimensional interfacial (free surface) flows, based on the control volume method and conservative integral form of the Navier–Stokes equations with a standard staggered grid. The new method deploys two continuity equations, the continuity equation of the mass conservation for better convergence of the implicit scheme and the continuity equation of the volume conservation for the equation of pressure correction. The convection terms (the total momentum flux) on the surfaces of control volume are accurately calculated from the wet area exposed to the water, and the dry area exposed to the air. The numerical results produced by the new numerical method agree very well with the analytical solution, experimental images and experimentally measured velocity. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Integrated numerical model for vegetated surface and saturated subsurface flow interaction

The construction of an integrated numerical model is presented in this paper to deal with the interactions between vegetated surface and saturated subsurface flows. A numerical model is built by integrating the previously developed quasi-three-dimensional (Q3D) vegetated surface flow model with a two-dimensional (2D) saturated groundwater flow model. The vegetated surface flow model is constructed by coupling the explicit finite volume solution of 2D shallow water equations (SWEs) with the implicit finite difference solution of Navier-Stokes equations (NSEs) for vertical velocity distribution. The subsurface model is based on the explicit finite volume solution of 2D saturated groundwater flow equations (SGFEs). The ground and vegetated surface water interaction is achieved by introducing source-sink terms into the continuity equations. Two solutions are tightly coupled in a single code. The integrated model is applied to four test cases, and the results are satisfactory.     

On the accurate prediction of the wall-normal velocity in compressible boundary-layer flow

We consider a problem which arises in the numerical solution of the compressible two-dimensional or axisymmetric boundary-layer equations. Numerical methods for the compressible boundary-layer equations are facilitated by transformation from the physical (x, y) plane to a computational (ξ, η) plane in which the evolution of the flow is ‘slow’ in the time-like ξ direction. The commonly used Levy-Lees transformation results in a computationally well-behaved problem, but it complicates interpretation of the solution in physical space. Specifically, the transformation is inherently non-linear, and the physical wall-normal velocity is transformed out of the problem and is not readily recovered. Conventional methods extract the wall-normal velocity in physical space from the continuity equation, using finite-difference techniques and interpolation procedures. The present spectrally accurate method extracts the wall-normal velocity directly from the transformation itself, without interpolation, leaving the continuity equation free as a check on the quality of the solution. The present method for recovering wall-normal velocity, when used in conjunction with a highly accurate spectral collocation method for solving the compressible boundary-layer equations, results in a discrete solution which satisfies the continuity equation nearly to machine precision. As demonstration of the utility of the method, the boundary layers of three prototypical high-speed flows are investigated and compared: the flat plate, the hollow cylinder, and the cone. An important implication for classical linear stability theory is also briefly discussed.     

A three-dimensional PSME model for rotating flows in an annular cavity

A pseudospectral matrix-element (PSME) numerical model is described for the simulation of rotating flows in a three-dimensional annular cavity. Temporal discretisation is implemented using a second-order semi-implicit scheme. Modified compressibility is invoked to handle the coupling between velocity and pressure while maintaining the incompressibility constraint. The governing continuity and Navier–Stokes momentum equations and boundary conditions are discretised using Chebyshev and Fourier collocation formulae. The model is validated against numerical results from alternative schemes and experimental data on rotating flows in an annular cavity. A base flow regime and instability patterns are observed, in accordance with other previously published investigations. It is demonstrated that the PSME model provides an accurate representation of rotating flows in an annular cavity.     

THREE-DIMENSIONAL VISCOUS FLOW THROUGH A ROTATING CHANNEL: A PSEUDOSPECTRAL MATRIX METHOD APPROACH

A Fourier–Chebyshev pseudospectral method is used for the numerical simulation of incompressible flows in a three-dimensio nal channel of square cross-section with rotation. Realistic, non-periodic boundary conditions that impose no-slip conditions in two directions (spanwis e and vertical directions) are used. The Navier–Stokes equations are integrated in time using a fractional step method. The Poisson equations for pressure and the Helmholtz equation for velocity are solved using a matrix diagonalization (eigenfunction decomposition) method, through which we are able to reduce a three-dimensional matrix problem to a simple algebraic vector equation. This results in signficant savings in computer storage requirement, particularly for large-scale computations. Verification of the numerical algorithm and code is carried out by comparing with a limiting case of an exact steady state solution for a one-dimensional channel flow and also with a two-dimensional rotating channel case. Two-cell and four-cell two-dimensional flow patterns are observed in the numerical experiment. It is found that the four-cell flow pattern is stable to symmetri cal disturbances but unstable to asymmetrical disturbances.     

An implicit numerical algorithm for solving non‐hydrostatic free‐surface flow problems

Details are given of the development of a two‐dimensional vertical numerical model for simulating unsteady free‐surface flows, using a non‐hydrostatic pressure distribution. In this model, the Reynolds equations and the kinematic free‐surface boundary condition are solved simultaneously, so that the water surface elevation can be integrated into the solution and solved for, together with the velocity and pressure fields. An efficient numerical algorithm has been developed, deploying implicit parameters similar to those used in the Crank–Nicholson method, and generating a block tri‐diagonal algebraic system of equations. The model has been applied to simulate a range of unsteady flow problems involving relatively strong vertical accelerations. The results show that the numerical algorithm described is able to produce accurate predictions and is also easy to apply. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

用三维半人工瞬变法计算圆管内圆柱绕流

本文提出一种计算三维定常流动的半人工瞬变法,本方法的特点是直接利用流体力学的原始基本方程组进行数值计算。运动方程中的一个分量方程被用于计算压力,另外两个分量方程被加入人工瞬变项而成为人工瞬变方程,这两个人工瞬变方程被用于计算速度的两个分量,第三个速度分量则通过连续性方程进行计算得到。根据半人工瞬变方程组的特点和流动区域的特性,本方法采用半交错不等距非正交曲线贴体混合网格系进行数值计算,并利用质点导数差分格式使计算更简便。本文以圆管中不可压缩流体对圆柱的三维定常绕流问题为算例,具体画出计算用的半交错不等距非正交曲线贴体混合网格系,介绍三维半人工瞬变法的计算方法和步骤,并通过数值计算得到了此算例的计算结果。     

A high‐order finite difference method for incompressible fluid turbulence simulations

A Hermitian–Fourier numerical method for solving the Navier–Stokes equations with one non‐homogeneous direction had been presented by Schiestel and Viazzo (Internat. J. Comput. Fluids 1995; 24 (6):739). In the present paper, an extension of the method is devised for solving problems with two non‐homogeneous directions. This extension is indeed not trivial since new algorithms will be necessary, in particular for pressure calculation. The method uses Hermitian finite differences in the non‐periodic directions whereas Fourier pseudo‐spectral developments are used in the remaining periodic direction. Pressure–velocity coupling is solved by a simplified Poisson equation for the pressure correction using direct method of solution that preserves Hermitian accuracy for pressure. The turbulent flow after a backward facing step has been used as a test case to show the capabilities of the method. The applications in view are mainly concerning the numerical simulation of turbulent and transitional flows. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An algebraic factorisation scheme for spectral element solution of incompressible flow and scalar transport

A spectral element algorithm for solution of the unsteady incompressible Navier–Stokes and scalar (species/heat) transport equations is developed using the algebraic factorisation scheme. The new algorithm utilises Nth order Gauss–Lobatto–Legendre points for velocity and the scalar, while (N-2)th order Gauss–Legendre points are used for pressure. As a result, the algorithm does not require inter-element continuity for pressure and pressure boundary conditions on solid surfaces. Implementations of the algorithm are performed for conforming and non-conforming grids. The latter is accomplished using both the point-wise matching and integral projection methods, and applied for grids with both polynomial and geometric non-conformities. Code validation cases include the unsteady scalar convection equation, and Kovasznay flow in two- and three-dimensional domains. Using cases with analytical solutions, the algorithm is shown to achieve spectral accuracy in space and second-order accuracy in time. The results for the Boussinesq approximation for buoyancy-driven flows, and the species mixing in a continuous flow micro-mixer are also included as examples of applications that require long-time integration of the scalar transport equations.     

A preconditioned semi‐staggered dilation‐free finite volume method for the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations on all‐hexahedral elements

A new semi‐staggered finite volume method is presented for the solution of the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations on all‐quadrilateral (2D)/hexahedral (3D) meshes. The velocity components are defined at element node points while the pressure term is defined at element centroids. The continuity equation is satisfied exactly within each elements. The checkerboard pressure oscillations are prevented using a special filtering matrix as a preconditioner for the saddle‐point problem resulting from second‐order discretization of the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations. The preconditioned saddle‐point problem is solved using block preconditioners with GMRES solver. In order to achieve higher performance FORTRAN source code is based on highly efficient PETSc and HYPRE libraries. As test cases the 2D/3D lid‐driven cavity flow problem and the 3D flow past array of circular cylinders are solved in order to verify the accuracy of the proposed method. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Computation of non-equilibrium hypersonic flow with artificially upstream flux vector splitting (AUFS) schemes

The AUFS scheme has been presented for solving the Euler equations [Sun, M., Takayama, K., 2003. An artificially upstream flux vector splitting scheme for the Euler equations. Journal of Computational Physics, 189, 305–329]. An extension of this high resolution scheme-based on upwind numerical methods has been developed to calculate a two-dimensional hypersonic viscous flowfield in thermochemical non-equilibrium. The time-dependent Navier–Stokes governing equations are computed by using a multi-block finite volume technique on a structured mesh. The convective fluxes at the interfaces are evaluated using a flux vector splitting (FVS) method with a second-order reconstruction of the interface values and the viscous terms are discretised by second-order central differences. A better evaluation of aerodynamic parameters are obtained with this AUFS scheme and they are also compared to those obtained by previous works. The freestream flow conditions of these computations correspond to high-enthalpy flows with a Mach number range between 6.4 and 25.9. The obtained numerical results indicate that the AUFS scheme is accurate, robust, and efficient for the calculation of hypersonic flow.     

A semi‐implicit scheme for large Eddy simulation of piston engine flow and combustion

A semi‐implicit scheme is presented for large eddy simulation of turbulent reactive flow and combustion in reciprocating piston engines. First, the governing equations in a deforming coordinate system are formulated to accommodate the moving piston. The numerical scheme is made up of a fourth‐order central difference for the diffusion terms in the transport equations and a fifth‐order weighted essentially nonoscillatory (WENO) scheme for the convective terms. A second‐ order Adams–Bashforth scheme is used for time integration. For higher density ratios, it is combined with a predictor–corrector scheme. The numerical scheme is explicit for time integration of the transport equations, except for the continuity equation which is used together with the momentum equation to determine the pressure field and velocity field by using a Poisson equation for the pressure correction field. The scheme is aimed at the simulation of low Mach number flows typically found in piston engines. An efficient multigrid method that can handle high grid aspect ratio is presented for solving the pressure correction equation. The numerical scheme is evaluated on two test engines, a laboratory four‐stroke engine with rectangular‐shaped engine geometry where detailed velocity measurements are available, and a modified truck engine with practical cylinder geometry where lean ethanol/air mixture is combusted under a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) condition. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A numerical method for 3D viscous incompressible flows using non-orthogonal grids

This paper presents a numerical method for fluid flow in complex three-dimensional geometries using a body-fitted co-ordinate system. A new second-order-accurate scheme for the cross-derivative terms is proposed to describe the non-orthogonal components, allowing parts of these terms to be treated implicitly without increasing the number of computational molecules. The physical tangential velocity components resulting from the velocity expansion in the unit tangent vector basis are used as dependent variables in the momentum equations. A coupled equation solver is used in place of the complicated pressure correction equation associated with grid non-orthogonality. The co-ordinate-invariant conservation equations and the physical geometric quantities of control cells are used directly to formulate the numerical scheme, without reference to the co-ordinate derivatives of transformation. Several two- and three-dimensional laminar flows are computed and compared with other numerical, experimental and analytical results to validate the solution method. Good agreement is obtained in all cases.     

An improved large eddy simulation of two-phase flows in a pump impeller

An improved large eddy simulation using a dynamic second-order sub-grid-scale (SGS) stress model has been developed to model the governing equations of dense turbulent particle-liquid two-phase flows in a rotating coordinate system, and continuity is conserved by a mass-weighted method to solve the filtered governing equations. In the current second-order SGS model, the SGS stress is a function of both the resolved strain-rate and rotation-rate tensors, and the model parameters are obtained from the dimensional consistency and the invariants of the strain-rate and the rotation-rate tensors. In the numerical calculation, the finite volume method is used to discretize the governing equations with a staggered grid system. The SIMPLEC algorithm is applied for the solution of the discretized governing equations. Body-fitted coordinates are used to simulate the two-phase flows in complex geometries. Finally the second-order dynamic SGS model is successfully applied to simulate the dense turbulent particle-liquid two-phase flows in a centrifugal impeller. The predicted pressure and velocity distributions are in good agreement with experimental results. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (50779069 and 90510007), the Start-up Scientific Research Foundation of China Agricultural University (2006021) and the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (3071002).     

Numerical investigation from rarefied flow to continuum by solving the Boltzmann model equation

Based on the Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook (BGK) Boltzmann model equation, the unified simplified velocity distribution function equation adapted to various flow regimes can be presented. The reduced velocity distribution functions and the discrete velocity ordinate method are developed and applied to remove the velocity space dependency of the distribution function, and then the distribution function equations will be cast into hyperbolic conservation laws form with non‐linear source terms. Based on the unsteady time‐splitting technique and the non‐oscillatory, containing no free parameters, and dissipative (NND) finite‐difference method, the gas kinetic finite‐difference second‐order scheme is constructed for the computation of the discrete velocity distribution functions. The discrete velocity numerical quadrature methods are developed to evaluate the macroscopic flow parameters at each point in the physical space. As a result, a unified simplified gas kinetic algorithm for the gas dynamical problems from various flow regimes is developed. To test the reliability of the present numerical method, the one‐dimensional shock‐tube problems and the flows past two‐dimensional circular cylinder with various Knudsen numbers are simulated. The computations of the related flows indicate that both high resolution of the flow fields and good qualitative agreement with the theoretical, DSMC and experimental results can be obtained. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A comparative study of GLS finite elements with velocity and pressure equally interpolated for solving incompressible viscous flows

A comparative study of the bi‐linear and bi‐quadratic quadrilateral elements and the quadratic triangular element for solving incompressible viscous flows is presented. These elements make use of the stabilized finite element formulation of the Galerkin/least‐squares method to simulate the flows, with the pressure and velocity fields interpolated with equal orders. The tangent matrices are explicitly derived and the Newton–Raphson algorithm is employed to solve the resulting nonlinear equations. The numerical solutions of the classical lid‐driven cavity flow problem are obtained for Reynolds numbers between 1000 and 20 000 and the accuracy and converging rate of the different elements are compared. The influence on the numerical solution of the least square of incompressible condition is also studied. The numerical example shows that the quadratic triangular element exhibits a better compromise between accuracy and converging rate than the other two elements. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.