Flow Reconstruction Around a Surface-Mounted Prism from Sparse Velocity and/or Scalar Measurements Using a Combination of POD and a Data-Driven Estimator

Abstract

A data-driven algorithm is proposed for flow reconstruction from sparse velocity and/or scalar measurements. The algorithm is applied to the flow around a two-dimensional, wall-mounted, square prism. To reduce the problem dimensionality, snapshots of flow and scalar fields are processed to derive POD modes and their time coefficients. Then a system identification algorithm is employed to build a reduced order, linear, dynamical system for the flow and scalar dynamics. Optimal estimation theory is subsequently applied to derive a Kalman estimator to predict the time coefficients of the POD modes from sparse measurements. Analysis of the flow and scalar spectra demonstrate that the flow field leaves its footprint on the scalar, thus extracting velocity from scalar concentration measurements is meaningful. The results show that remarkably good reconstruction of the flow statistics (Reynolds stresses) and instantaneous flow patterns can be obtained using a very small number of sensors (even a single scalar sensor yields very satisfactory results for the case considered). The Kalman estimator derived at one condition is able to reconstruct with acceptable accuracy the flow fields at two nearby off-design conditions. Further work is needed to assess the performance of the algorithm in more complex, three-dimensional, flows.