A multiscale numerical algorithm for heat transfer simulation between multidimensional CFD and monodimensional system codes

Abstract

Nowadays the rapidly-increasing computational power allows scientists and engineers to perform numerical simulations of complex systems that can involve many scales and several different physical phenomena. In order to perform such simulations, two main strategies can be adopted: one may develop a new numerical code where all the physical phenomena of interest are modelled or one may couple existing validated codes. With the latter option, the creation of a huge and complex numerical code is avoided but efficient methods for data exchange are required since the performance of the simulation is highly influenced by its coupling techniques. In this work we propose a new algorithm that can be used for volume and/or boundary coupling purposes for both multiscale and multiphysics numerical simulations. The proposed algorithm is used for a multiscale simulation involving several CFD domains and monodimensional loops. We adopt the overlapping domain strategy, so the entire flow domain is simulated with the system code. We correct the system code solution by matching averaged inlet and outlet fields located at the boundaries of the CFD domains that overlap parts of the monodimensional loop. In particular we correct pressure losses and enthalpy values with source-sink terms that are imposed in the system code equations. The 1D-CFD coupling is a defective one since the CFD code requires point-wise values on the coupling interfaces and the system code provides only averaged quantities. In particular we impose, as inlet boundary conditions for the CFD domains, the mass flux and the mean enthalpy that are calculated by the system code. With this method the mass balance is preserved at every time step of the simulation. The coupling between consecutive CFD domains is not a defective one since with the proposed algorithm we can interpolate the field solutions on the boundary interfaces. We use the MED data structure as the base structure where all the field operations are performed, allowing the algorithm to be used with all the numerical codes where a MED duplicate of the field solution can be created. The MEDmem libraries come with the Salome platform and include basic methods for handling meshes and fields. We provide results that show the consistency of the proposed algorithm.