Verification and Scalability of Mixed-Element USM3D for Benchmark Three-Dimensional Flows

Abstract

The unstructured-grid mixed-element cell-centered finite-volume flow solver USM3D is enhanced for massively parallel computations. The paper describes modifications to the flow solver and parallelization strategy. The new parallel implementation is verified through comparison of residuals and force coefficients computed on a given grid using varying number of partitions. The accuracy of the parallel USM3D is verified through grid convergence studies and comparison with available reference solutions for two benchmark turbulent flows, namely, a subsonic separated flow around a three-dimensional hemisphere-cylinder configuration and a supersonic flow through a square duct. The strong and weak scalability assessments are conducted using two different nonlinear iteration methods.