An adaptive implicit–explicit scheme for the DNS and LES of compressible flows on unstructured grids

Abstract

An adaptive implicit–explicit scheme for Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) and Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) of compressible turbulent flows on unstructured grids is developed. The method uses a node-based finite-volume discretization with Summation-by-Parts (SBP) property, which, in conjunction with Simultaneous Approximation Terms (SAT) for imposing boundary conditions, leads to a linearly stable semi-discrete scheme. The solution is marched in time using an Implicit–Explicit Runge–Kutta (IMEX-RK) time-advancement scheme. A novel adaptive algorithm for splitting the system into implicit and explicit sets is developed. The method is validated using several canonical laminar and turbulent flows. Load balance for the new scheme is achieved by a dual-constraint, domain decomposition algorithm. The scalability and computational efficiency of the method is investigated, and memory savings compared with a fully implicit method is demonstrated. A notable reduction of computational costs compared to both fully implicit and fully explicit schemes is observed.