Continuous Galerkin Discretizations Research Articles

Local conservation laws of continuous Galerkin method for the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations in EMAC form

We consider local balances of momentum and angular momentum for the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations. First, we formulate new weak forms of the physical balances (conservation laws) of these quantities, and prove they are equivalent to the usual conservation law formulations. We then show that continuous Galerkin discretizations of the Navier–Stokes equations using the EMAC form of the nonlinearity preserve discrete analogues of the weak form conservation laws, both in the Eulerian formulation and the Lagrangian formulation (which are not equivalent after discretizations). Numerical tests illustrate the new theory.

Uniform L∞-bounds for energy-conserving higher-order time integrators for the Gross–Pitaevskii equation with rotation

Abstract In this paper, we consider an energy-conserving continuous Galerkin discretization of the Gross–Pitaevskii equation with a magnetic trapping potential and a stirring potential for angular momentum rotation. The discretization is based on finite elements in space and time and allows for arbitrary polynomial orders. It was first analyzed by O. Karakashian and C. Makridakis (SIAM J. Numer. Anal., 36(6),1779–1807, 1999) in the absence of potential terms and corresponding a priori error estimates were derived in $2D$. In this work we revisit the approach in the generalized setting of the Gross–Pitaevskii equation with rotation and we prove uniform $L^{\infty }$-bounds for the corresponding numerical approximations in $2D$ and $3D$ without coupling conditions between the spatial mesh size and the time step size. With this result at hand, we are particularly able to extend the previous error estimates to the $3D$ setting while avoiding artificial CFL conditions.

An unfitted finite element method using level set functions for extrapolation into deformable diffuse interfaces

We explore a new way to handle flux boundary conditions imposed on level sets. The proposed approach is a diffuse interface version of the shifted boundary method (SBM) for continuous Galerkin discretizations of conservation laws in embedded domains. We impose the interface conditions weakly and approximate surface integrals by volume integrals. The discretized weak form of the governing equation has the structure of an immersed boundary finite element method. That is, integration is performed over a fixed fictitious domain. Source terms are included to account for interface conditions and extend the boundary data into the complement of the embedded domain. The calculation of these extra terms requires (i) construction of an approximate delta function and (ii) extrapolation of embedded boundary data into quadrature points. We accomplish these tasks using a level set function, which is given analytically or evolved numerically. A globally defined averaged gradient of this approximate signed distance function is used to construct a simple map to the closest point on the interface. The normal and tangential derivatives of the numerical solution at that point are calculated using the interface conditions and/or interpolation on uniform stencils. Similarly to SBM, extrapolation of data back to the quadrature points is performed using Taylor expansions. Computations that require extrapolation are restricted to a narrow band around the interface. Numerical results are presented for elliptic, parabolic, and hyperbolic test problems, which are specifically designed to assess the error caused by the numerical treatment of interface conditions on fixed and moving boundaries in 2D.

Adaptive High-Order Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulations with Reduced Mesh-Motion Errors

This paper demonstrates an adaptive approach for solving fluid–structure interaction problems using high-fidelity numerical methods along with a detailed analysis of mesh-motion errors. A high-order partitioned approach is applied to couple the fluid and the structural subsystems, where the fluid subsystem is discretized using a discontinuous Galerkin finite-element method, while the structures solver uses a continuous Galerkin discretization. An explicit mapping is used as the primary mesh deformation algorithm. High-order time-integration schemes are used by the coupled solver to march forward in time, and the space-time mesh of the fluid subsystem is adapted using output-based methods. The error estimates for the unsteady outputs are evaluated by calculating the uncoupled, unsteady adjoint of the fluid subsystem. Adaptive meshing is used to demonstrate the importance of mesh-motion errors on output convergence, and a comprehensive analysis is conducted to control such errors arising from the mesh deformation algorithm. The benefits of adaptive meshing are demonstrated on a cantilevered Euler–Bernoulli beam placed in a low-Reynolds number flow and on a two-dimensional pitching–plunging airfoil in a high-Reynolds number flow.

Algebraic entropy fixes and convex limiting for continuous finite element discretizations of scalar hyperbolic conservation laws

In this work, we modify a continuous Galerkin discretization of a scalar hyperbolic conservation law using new algebraic correction procedures. Discrete entropy conditions are used to determine the minimal amount of entropy stabilization and constrain antidiffusive corrections of a property-preserving low-order scheme. The addition of a second-order entropy dissipative component to the antidiffusive part of a nearly entropy conservative numerical flux is generally insufficient to prevent violations of local bounds in shock regions. Our monolithic convex limiting technique adjusts a given target flux in a manner which guarantees preservation of invariant domains, validity of local maximum principles, and entropy stability. The new methodology combines the advantages of modern entropy stable/entropy conservative schemes and their local extremum diminishing counterparts. The process of algebraic flux correction is based on inequality constraints which provably provide the desired properties. No free parameters are involved. The proposed algebraic fixes are readily applicable to unstructured meshes, finite element methods, general time discretizations, and steady-state residuals. Numerical studies of explicit entropy-constrained schemes are performed for linear and nonlinear test problems.

A linearity preserving nodal variation limiting algorithm for continuous Galerkin discretization of ideal MHD equations

In this work, a stabilized continuous Galerkin (CG) method for magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) is presented. Ideal, compressible inviscid MHD equations are discretized in space on unstructured meshes using piecewise linear or bilinear finite element bases to get a semi-discrete scheme. Stabilization is then introduced to the semi-discrete method in a strategy that follows the algebraic flux correction paradigm. This involves adding some artificial diffusion to the high order, semi-discrete method and mass lumping in the time derivative term. The result is a low order method that provides local extremum diminishing properties for hyperbolic systems. The difference between the low order method and the high order method is scaled element-wise using a limiter and added to the low order scheme. The limiter is solution dependent and computed via an iterative linearity preserving nodal variation limiting strategy. The stabilization also involves an optional consistent background high order dissipation that reduces phase errors. The resulting stabilized scheme is a semi-discrete method that can be applied to inviscid shock MHD problems and may be even extended to resistive and viscous MHD problems. To satisfy the divergence free constraint of the MHD equations, we add parabolic divergence cleaning to the system. Various time integration methods can be used to discretize the scheme in time. We demonstrate the robustness of the scheme by solving several shock MHD problems.

Large deformation poromechanics with local mass conservation: An enriched Galerkin finite element framework

SummaryNumerical modeling of large deformations in fluid‐infiltrated porous media must accurately describe not only geometrically nonlinear kinematics but also fluid flow in heterogeneously deforming pore structure. Accurate simulation of fluid flow in heterogeneous porous media often requires a numerical method that features the local (elementwise) conservation property. Here, we introduce a new finite element framework for locally mass conservative solution of coupled poromechanical problems at large strains. At the core of our approach is the enriched Galerkin discretization of the fluid mass balance equation, whereby elementwise constant functions are augmented to the standard continuous Galerkin discretization. The resulting numerical method provides local mass conservation by construction with a usually affordable cost added to the continuous Galerkin counterpart. Two equivalent formulations are developed using total Lagrangian and updated Lagrangian approaches. The local mass conservation property of the proposed method is verified through numerical examples involving saturated and unsaturated flow in porous media at finite strains. The numerical examples also demonstrate that local mass conservation can be a critical element of accurate simulation of both fluid flow and large deformation in porous media.

Local bounds preserving stabilization for continuous Galerkin discretization of hyperbolic systems

The objective of this paper is to present a local bounds preserving stabilized finite element scheme for hyperbolic systems on unstructured meshes based on continuous Galerkin (CG) discretization in space. A CG semi-discrete scheme with low order artificial dissipation that satisfies the local extremum diminishing (LED) condition for systems is used to discretize a system of conservation equations in space. The low order artificial diffusion is based on approximate Riemann solvers for hyperbolic conservation laws. In this case we consider both Rusanov and Roe artificial diffusion operators. In the Rusanov case, two designs are considered, a nodal based diffusion operator and a local projection stabilization operator. The result is a discretization that is LED and has first order convergence behavior. To achieve high resolution, limited antidiffusion is added back to the semi-discrete form where the limiter is constructed from a linearity preserving local projection stabilization operator. The procedure follows the algebraic flux correction procedure usually used in flux corrected transport algorithms. To further deal with phase errors (or terracing) common in FCT type methods, high order background dissipation is added to the antidiffusive correction. The resulting stabilized semi-discrete scheme can be discretized in time using a wide variety of time integrators. Numerical examples involving nonlinear scalar Burgers equation, and several shock hydrodynamics simulations for the Euler system are considered to demonstrate the performance of the method. For time discretization, Crank–Nicolson scheme and backward Euler scheme are utilized.

A domain decomposition method for discontinuous Galerkin discretizations of Helmholtz problems with plane waves and Lagrange multipliers

AbstractA nonoverlapping domain decomposition (DD) method is proposed for the iterative solution of systems of equations arising from the discretization of Helmholtz problems by the discontinuous enrichment method. This discretization method is a discontinuous Galerkin finite element method with plane wave basis functions for approximating locally the solution and dual Lagrange multipliers for weakly enforcing its continuity over the element interfaces. The primal subdomain degrees of freedom are eliminated by local static condensations to obtain an algebraic system of equations formulated in terms of the interface Lagrange multipliers only. As in the FETI‐H and FETI‐DPH DD methods for continuous Galerkin discretizations, this system of Lagrange multipliers is iteratively solved by a Krylov method equipped with both a local preconditioner based on subdomain data, and a global one using a coarse space. Numerical experiments performed for two‐ and three‐dimensional acoustic scattering problems suggest that the proposed DD‐based iterative solver is scalable with respect to both the size of the global problem and the number of subdomains. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

To continue or discontinue: Comparisons of continuous and discontinuous Galerkin formulations in a spectral element ocean model

The discontinuous Galerkin method is implemented in the spectral element ocean model to replace a continuous Galerkin discretization of the continuity and the tracer evolution equations. The aim is to improve the model’s local conservation properties, and thus its performance in advection-dominated flows. The new model is validated against several oceanic benchmark problems, particularly ones that feature frontal structures and under-resolved features. Comparisons confirm the advantages of the DGM, including enhanced model robustness.