An essentially non‐oscillatory semi‐Lagrangian method for tidal flow simulations

We develop an essentially non‐oscillatory semi‐Lagrangian method for solving two‐dimensional tidal flows. The governing equations are derived from the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations with assumptions of shallow water flows including bed frictions, eddy viscosity, wind shear stresses and Coriolis forces. The method employs the modified method of characteristics to discretize the convective term in a finite element framework. Limiters are incorporated in the method to reconstruct an essentially non‐oscillatory algorithm at minor additional cost. The central idea consists in combining linear and quadratic interpolation procedures using nodes of the finite element where departure points are localized. The resulting semi‐discretized system is then solved by an explicit Runge–Kutta Chebyshev scheme with extended stages. This scheme adds in a natural way a stabilizing stage to the conventional Runge–Kutta method using the Chebyshev polynomials. The proposed method is verified for the recirculation tidal flow in a channel with forward‐facing step. We also apply the method for simulation of tidal flows in the Strait of Gibraltar. In both test problems, the proposed method demonstrates its ability to handle the interaction between water free‐surface and bed frictions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Parallel computing of high‐speed compressible flows using a node‐based finite‐element method

An efficient parallel computing method for high‐speed compressible flows is presented. The numerical analysis of flows with shocks requires very fine computational grids and grid generation requires a great deal of time. In the proposed method, all computational procedures, from the mesh generation to the solution of a system of equations, can be performed seamlessly in parallel in terms of nodes. Local finite‐element mesh is generated robustly around each node, even for severe boundary shapes such as cracks. The algorithm and the data structure of finite‐element calculation are based on nodes, and parallel computing is realized by dividing a system of equations by the row of the global coefficient matrix. The inter‐processor communication is minimized by renumbering the nodal identification number using ParMETIS. The numerical scheme for high‐speed compressible flows is based on the two‐step Taylor–Galerkin method. The proposed method is implemented on distributed memory systems, such as an Alpha PC cluster, and a parallel supercomputer, Hitachi SR8000. The performance of the method is illustrated by the computation of supersonic flows over a forward facing step. The numerical examples show that crisp shocks are effectively computed on multiprocessors at high efficiency. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hybrid finite element/volume method for shallow water equations

A hybrid numerical scheme based on finite element and finite volume methods is developed to solve shallow water equations. In the recent past, we introduced a series of hybrid methods to solve incompressible low and high Reynolds number flows for single and two‐fluid flow problems. The present work extends the application of hybrid method to shallow water equations. In our hybrid shallow water flow solver, we write the governing equations in non‐conservation form and solve the non‐linear wave equation using finite element method with linear interpolation functions in space. On the other hand, the momentum equation is solved with highly accurate cell‐center finite volume method. Our hybrid numerical scheme is truly a segregated method with primitive variables stored and solved at both node and element centers. To enhance the stability of the hybrid method around discontinuities, we introduce a new shock capturing which will act only around sharp interfaces without sacrificing the accuracy elsewhere. Matrix‐free GMRES iterative solvers are used to solve both the wave and momentum equations in finite element and finite volume schemes. Several test problems are presented to demonstrate the robustness and applicability of the numerical method. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A ‘characteristic’ finite element scheme for convective-dispersive transport with non-equilibrium reaction

A finite element method coupled with the method of characteristics is applied to the problem of convective-dispersive transport with non-equilibrium reaction. Convective terms are calculated using moving particles together with influence element meshes for particle tracking, whereas dispersion terms are calculated by means of finite element techniques. The contribution from the term of non-equilibrium reaction is incorporated into the algebraic equations by the use of analytical solutions to the equation of non-equilibrium reaction for each time step and extended Simpson's numerical integrations. Comparison of the numerical results from the proposed procedure with analytical solutions to the simultaneous partial differential equations shows good agreement for the wide spectrum ranging from dispersion- to convection-dominated transport with various reaction parameters.     

A NEW TWO-DIMENSIONAL FINITE ELEMENT MODEL FOR THE SHALLOW WATER EQUATIONS USING A LAGRANGIAN FRAMEWORK CONSTRUCTED ALONG FLUID PARTICLE TRAJECTORIES

In this paper we describe a new finite element model for the tidal hydrodynamics in estuaries. The mathematical model is based on the solution of the two-dimensional shallow water equations in a Lagrangian framework which is defined along the trajectories of fluid particles. This method gives a flexible and robust numerical scheme for moving boundary flows encountered in tidal water systems. In order to validate the developed model we have, at first instance, compared our numerical results with analytical solutions obtained for domains with simple geometries. Further tests are then conducted to demonstrate the model's ability to cope with conditions such as hydraulic shock, abrupt changes in the flow domain geometry and gradual changes of water surface breadth. The change in the water surface breadth corresponds to the drying and wetting of the plains along the banks of a typical tidal river/estuary reach. The drying and wetting of flood plains result in the existence of very shallow depth of water at some sections of the flow domain during a tidal cycle. The flow equations under these conditions are strongly convection dominated. Previously published tidal models rely on either, some form of upwinding or the use of extremely fine meshes to give stable results for the convection dominated very shallow depth computations in estuaries. We show that our model can yield stable and accurate results for very shallow depths in the tidal flow domains without using any kind of artifical damping or excessive mesh refinement. Computational costs of simulating hydrodynamical conditions in a natural water course, even using a depth averaged two-dimensional approach, can be very high. The ability of our scheme to cope with convection dominated conditions has enabled us to economize the computational efforts by using coarse meshes in our finite element calculations. After the validation stage, the developed model is applied to simulate the tidal conditions in a real estuary. The comparison of the model results with the field observations shows a close agreement between these sets of data     

Mixed finite element method for generalized convection-diffusion equations based on an implicit characteristic-based algorithm

Summary A mixed finite element method for generalized convection-diffusion equations is proposed. The primitive variable with its spatial gradient and the diffusion flux are interpolated as independent variables. The variational (weak) form of the governing equations is given on the basis of the extended Hu-Washizu three-field variational principle. The mixed element is formulated with stabilized one point quadrature scheme and particularly implicit characteristic-based algorithm for eliminating spurious numerical oscillations. The numerical results illustrate good performances in accuracy and efficiency of the proposed mixed element in comparison with standard finite element.     

A three-step Oseen correction method for the steady Navier–Stokes equations

We present and analyze a two-grid scheme based on mixed finite element approximations for the steady incompressible Navier–Stokes equations. This numerical scheme aims at the simulations of high Reynolds number flows and consists of three steps: in the first step, we solve a finite element variational multiscale-stabilized nonlinear Navier–Stokes system on a coarse mesh, and then, in the second and third steps, we solve Oseen-linearized and -stabilized problems which have the same stiffness matrices with only different right-hand sides on a fine mesh. We provide error bounds for the approximate solutions, derive algorithmic parameter scalings from the analysis, and present some numerical results to verify the theoretical predictions and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

A fully explicit characteristic based split (CBS) scheme for viscoelastic flow calculations

In this paper, an explicit characteristic based split (CBS) scheme is proposed for the numerical solution of incompressible viscoelastic flow equations. The scheme proposed is free from simultaneous solution to the matrices arising from the finite element discretization of the governing equations. The experience gained from the solution of Newtonian fluid dynamics problems has been applied to the solution of viscoelastic flows. The Oldroyd‐B model has been employed to solve two benchmark problems of viscoelastic flow. They are viscoelastic flow past a circular cylinder and viscoelastic flow through planar contraction geometry. The results show that the solutions obtained are stable for the Weissenberg or Deborah number range studied in this paper. The solutions obtained at lower Weissenberg or Deborah numbers are accurate and agree excellently with the majority of available numerical data. However at higher Weissenberg or Deborah numbers, results show some sign of negative influence of the artificial dissipation added to the discrete constitutive equations. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.     

Finite element transient dynamic analysis of isotropic and fibre reinforced composite plates using a higher-order theory

A higher-order shear deformable C° continuous finite element is developed and employed to investigate the transient response of isotropic, orthotropic and layered anisotropic composite plates. The governing ordinary linear differential equations are integrated using the central difference explicit time integration scheme. A special mass matrix diagonalization scheme is adopted which conserves the total mass of the element and includes the effects due to rotary inertia terms. Numerical results for deflections and stresses are presented for rectangular plates under various boundary conditions and loadings. The parametric effects of the time step, finite element mesh, lamination scheme and orthotropy on the transient response are investigated. The numerical results are compared with those available in the literature, and with the results obtained by solving the same problems using the Mindlin plate element.     

A stabilized volume‐averaging finite element method for flow in porous media and binary alloy solidification processes

A stabilized equal‐order velocity–pressure finite element algorithm is presented for the analysis of flow in porous media and in the solidification of binary alloys. The adopted governing macroscopic conservation equations of momentum, energy and species transport are derived from their microscopic counterparts using the volume‐averaging method. The analysis is performed in a single domain with a fixed numerical grid. The fluid flow scheme developed includes SUPG (streamline‐upwind/Petrov–Galerkin), PSPG (pressure stabilizing/Petrov–Galerkin) and DSPG (Darcy stabilizing/Petrov–Galerkin) stabilization terms in a variable porosity medium. For the energy and species equations a classical SUPG‐based finite element method is employed. The developed algorithms were tested extensively with bilinear elements and were shown to perform stably and with nearly quadratic convergence in high Rayleigh number flows in varying porosity media. Examples are shown in natural and double diffusive convection in porous media and in the directional solidification of a binary‐alloy. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Finite element analysis of the transient motion of stratified viscous fluids under gravity

The present paper deals with the finite element analysis of two-dimensional two-layer density flows in a gravitational field. A fluid in each layer is replaced with a large number of discrete particles, and the motion and deformation of each layer is represented by moving those particles in a Lagrangian manner. The velocity distribution in the whole fluid region is given as the finite element solution of the Navier-Stokes equations and the equation of continuity. In the finite element calculation, free-slip conditions are used on solid wall boundaries because no-slip conditions may cause sticking of some particles to walls. Then, a new technique for the implementation of free-slip conditions on arbitrary curved boundaries is presented. As numerical examples, density flows in a rectangular closed container and Rayleigh-Taylor instability in the container with a circular cross-section have been computed.     

A finite difference-Galerkin finite element solution of compressible laminar boundary-layer flows

A finite difference-Galerkinfinite element method is presented for the solution of the two-dimensional compressible laminar boundary-layer flow problem. The streamwise derivatives in the momentum and energy equations are approximated by finite differences. An iterative scheme, due to the non-linearity of the problem, in conjunction with the Galerkin finite element method is then proposed for the solution of the problem through the boundary-layer thickness. Numerical results are presented and these are compared with other numerical and analytical solutions in order to show the applicability and the effectiveness of the proposed formulation. In all the cases here examined, the results obtained attained the same accuracy of other numerical methods for a much smaller number of points in the boundary-layer.     

A dual reciprocity boundary element formulation using the fractional step method for the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations

This paper presents a dual reciprocity boundary element solution method for the unsteady Navier–Stokes equations in two-dimensional incompressible flow, where a fractional step algorithm is utilized for the time advancement. A fully explicit, second-order, Adams–Bashforth scheme is used for the nonlinear convective terms. We performed numerical tests for two examples: the Taylor–Green vortex and the lid-driven square cavity flow for Reynolds numbers up to 400. The results in the former case are compared to the analytical solution, and in the latter to numerical results available in the literature. Overall the agreement is excellent demonstrating the applicability and accuracy of the fractional step, dual reciprocity boundary element solution formulations to the Navier–Stokes equations for incompressible flows.     

A stable finite element simulation of convective transport

A finite element simulation of the equations of momentum and energy transport in fluids has been implemented with triangular elements. An attempt is made to single out the reasons for numerical instabilities reported by other investigators for convection–diffusion transport operations in fluid mechanics when the ratio of the convective to the diffusive terms, measured by the Reynolds and Peclét numbers, is of the order of a hundred. To this end, the equations are solved for several problems to permit a direct comparison with results of other formulations. It is shown that the appearance of instability can be delayed by a proper choice of boundary conditions, and its intensity can be reduced through the use of triangular finite elements. Results agree very well with theoretical solutions for particular test problems including flows with large convection effects, large dissipation effects and fluids with temperature dependent properties.     

Numerical study of incompressible fluids in unbounded domains

The aim is to build up and test a numerical method to calculate the velocity of stationary two-dimensional flows. Both inviscid and viscous fluids are considered. They act in the unbounded domain surrounding a given profile and a stream function is introduced. A variational procedure, adapted to unbounded domains, reduces the problem to solving a finite sequence of hormonic equations, posed in bounded domains. Some profiles are tested using a finite element method.     

Non-diffusive N + 2 degree Petrov-Galerkin methods for two-dimensional transient transport computations

A new non-diffusive Petrov-Galerkin type finite element method which uses test functions two polynomial degrees higher than the trial functions is developed for the transient convection dominated transport equation in two dimensions. The scheme uses bilinear quadrilateral finite elements for the spatial discretization and Crank-Nicolson finite differencing for the time integration. The standard product extension of very successful one-dimensional N + 2 degree upwinding functions to two dimensions is ineffective for general 2-D flow problems, especially at higher Courant numbers where cross-derivative truncation terms become important. Therefore effective N + 2 degree test functions are developed through an analysis by which the truncation error terms in the discrete nodal equation are eliminated up to fifth order. The new scheme is very effective for general 2-D flows over a wide Courant number range and eliminates the troublesome cross-derivative truncation terms. The scheme is simple and robust in that the upwinding coefficients are readily defined and only dependent on Courant number. Numerical examples illustrate the excellent behaviour of the new scheme.     

基于特征线分离算法的大涡模拟

将基于特征线的分离算法与大涡模拟相结合,推导了不可压流大涡模拟有限元离散方程组,并将该方法应用于三维流场的层流及湍流非定常计算。将不同雷诺数下的三维顶盖驱动空腔流动计算结果与实验数据以及直接数据模拟结果进行对比,吻合较好,验证了方法的可靠性和准确性。     

ITERATIVE SOLUTION OF COUPLED FE/BE DISCRETIZATIONS FOR PLATE–FOUNDATION INTERACTION PROBLEMS

In the present paper, a scheme is developed for the coupled FE/BE analysis of a plate–foundation interaction problem, in which the boundary element equations of the foundation are not explicitly assembled with the finite element equations of the plate, but instead an iterative procedure is proposed to obtain the final coupled solution. This iterative scheme preserves the nature of the BE and FE approaches and the coupled procedure can be easily implemented within an integrated FEM/BEM software environment. The scheme also reduces the computer storage requirement and avoids the error introduced by symmetrization of the BE equations. In addition, some important issues related to the scheme, such as convergence conditions and parameter selection, are discussed. A numerical example is provided to illustrate pthe benefits of the scheme. It is noted, however, that the overall performance of the proposed scheme when compared with the conventional direct solution of the unsymmetric equations arising from the explicit coupling of the FE and BE equations, depends on the choice of a free parameter and a matrix contained in the scheme.     

Least squares finite element analysis of laminar boundary layer flows

Based on the least squares error criterion, a class of finite element is formulated for the numerical analysis of steady state viscous boundary layer flow problems. The method is essentially a discrete element-wise minimization of square and weighted residuals which arise from the attempts in approximately satisfying boundary layer equations. An iterative linearization scheme is developed to circumvent the mathematical difficulties posed by the non-linear boundary layer equations. It results in a process of successive least squares minimizations of residual errors arising from satisfying a set of linear differential equations. A mathematical justification for the method is presented. A major feature of the method lies in the linearization approach which renders non-linear differential equations amenable to linear least squares finite element analysis. Another important feature rests on the proposed finite element formulation which preserves the symmetric nature of finite element matrix equations through the use of the least squares error criterion. Numerical examples of viscous flow along a flat plate are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the method as well as to illuminate discussions on the theoretical aspects of the method.