Two-dimensional simulation of gaseous phenomena using vortex particles

Abstract

This article presents a simple, fast and stable method for the animation and visualisation of turbulent gaseous fluids in two dimensions. We draw on well known methods from computational fluid dynamics to model the fluid using vorticity and velocity fields. While the vorticity is transported by a particle system, we use a uniform grid to compute velocities and displacements for each particle. This mixed approach where free particles move on a fixed grid requires little computational power, making it suitable for computer animation. The method simulates the behaviour of fluids in situations where the contact between fluid masses with different velocities generates an intermediate mixing layer which can give rise to turbulence phenomena. Unlike previous algorithms, it is possible to generate quasiturbulent patterns, where large scale coherent vortex structures are still discernible in the flow.