Galerkin Finite Element Research Articles

A Novel Robust Strategy for Discontinuous Galerkin Methods in Computational Fluid Mechanics: Why? When? What? Where?

In this paper we will review a recent emerging paradigm shift in the construction and analysis of high order Discontinuous Galerkin methods applied to approximate solutions of hyperbolic or mixed hyperbolic-parabolic partial differential equations (PDEs) in computational physics. There is a long history using DG methods to approximate the solution of partial differential equations in computational physics with successful applications in linear wave propagation, like those governed by Maxwell’s equations, incompressible and compressible fluid and plasma dynamics governed by the Navier-Stokes and the Magnetohydrodynamics equations, or as a solver for ordinary differential equations (ODEs), e.g., in structural mechanics. The DG method amalgamates ideas from several existing methods such as the Finite Element Galerkin method (FEM) and the Finite Volume method (FVM) and is specifically applied to problems with advection dominated properties, such as fast moving fluids or wave propagation. In the numerics community, DG methods are infamous for being computationally complex and, due to their high order nature, as having issues with robustness, i.e., these methods are sometimes prone to crashing easily. In this article we will focus on efficient nodal versions of the DG scheme and present recent ideas to restore its robustness, its connections to and influence by other sectors of the numerical community, such as the finite difference community, and further discuss this young, but rapidly developing research topic by highlighting the main contributions and a closing discussion about possible next lines of research.

Discontinuous Galerkin scheme for solving non-isothermal and non-equilibrium model of liquid chromatography

A total variation bounded (TVB) Runge–Kutta local-projection discontinuous Galerkin (RK-LDG) finite element method is applied for numerically approximating the non-isothermal and non-equilibrium model of liquid chromatography. The model comprises a system of convection-diffusion partial differential equations (PDEs) coupled with algebraic and ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The suggested numerical scheme is explicit in nature and has the potential to capture sharp peaks and abrupt changes in the solution profiles. A number of case studies are carried out for single and two-component elution. The influence of temperature on the column efficiency and separation of mixture components is analyzed. Furthermore, important parameters are identified that influence the performance of the column. The results of the proposed method are authenticated against the high-resolution finite-volume scheme (HR-FVS).

COMPARING THE DISCONTINUOUS GALERKIN AND HIGH-ORDER DIAMOND DIFFERENCING METHODS FOR THE TRANSPORT EQUATION ON A LOZENGE-BASED HEXAGONAL GEOMETRY

This paper presents an implementation and a comparison of two spatial discretisation schemes over a hexagonal geometry for the two-dimensional discrete ordinates transport equation. The methods are a high-order Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) finite element scheme and a high-order Diamond Differencing (DD) scheme. The DG method has been, and is being, studied on the hexagonal geometry, also called a honeycomb mesh – but not the DD method. In this research effort, it was chosen to divide the hexagons into (at least) three lozenges. An affine transformation is then applied onto said lozenges to cast them into the reference quadrilaterals usually studied in finite elements. In practice, this effectively means that the equations used in Cartesian geometry have their terms and operators altered using the Jacobian matrix of the transformation. This was implemented in the discrete ordinates solver of the code DRAGON5. Two 2D benchmark problems were then used for the verification and validation, including one based on the Monju 3D reactor benchmark. It was found that the diamond-differencing scheme seemed better. It converged much faster towards the solution at comparable mesh refinements for first-order expansion of the flux. Even if this difference was not present for second-order, DG was slower, about two to four times slower.

Regularity and convergence analysis in Sobolev and H\xf6lder spaces for generalized Whittle\u2013Mat\xe9rn fields

We analyze several types of Galerkin approximations of a Gaussian random field mathscr {Z}:mathscr {D}times varOmega rightarrow mathbb {R} indexed by a Euclidean domain mathscr {D}subset mathbb {R}^d whose covariance structure is determined by a negative fractional power L^{-2beta } of a second-order elliptic differential operator L:= -nabla cdot (Anabla ) + kappa ^2. Under minimal assumptions on the domain mathscr {D}, the coefficients A:mathscr {D}rightarrow mathbb {R}^{dtimes d}, kappa :mathscr {D}rightarrow mathbb {R}, and the fractional exponent beta >0, we prove convergence in L_q(varOmega ; H^sigma (mathscr {D})) and in L_q(varOmega ; C^delta (overline{mathscr {D}})) at (essentially) optimal rates for (1) spectral Galerkin methods and (2) finite element approximations. Specifically, our analysis is solely based on H^{1+alpha }(mathscr {D})-regularity of the differential operator L, where 0<alpha le 1. For this setting, we furthermore provide rigorous estimates for the error in the covariance function of these approximations in L_{infty }(mathscr {D}times mathscr {D}) and in the mixed Sobolev space H^{sigma ,sigma }(mathscr {D}times mathscr {D}), showing convergence which is more than twice as fast compared to the corresponding L_q(varOmega ; H^sigma (mathscr {D}))-rate. We perform several numerical experiments which validate our theoretical results for (a) the original Whittle–Matérn class, where Aequiv mathrm {Id}_{mathbb {R}^d} and kappa equiv {text {const.}}, and (b) an example of anisotropic, non-stationary Gaussian random fields in d=2 dimensions, where A:mathscr {D}rightarrow mathbb {R}^{2times 2} and kappa :mathscr {D}rightarrow mathbb {R} are spatially varying.

A higher-order finite element reactive transport model for unstructured and fractured grids

This work presents a new reactive transport framework that combines a powerful geochemistry engine with advanced numerical methods for flow and transport in subsurface fractured porous media. Specifically, the PhreeqcRM interface (developed by the USGS) is used to take advantage of a large library of equilibrium and kinetic aqueous and fluid-rock reactions, which has been validated by numerous experiments and benchmark studies. Fluid flow is modeled by the Mixed Hybrid Finite Element (FE) method, which provides smooth velocity fields even in highly heterogenous formations with discrete fractures. A multilinear Discontinuous Galerkin FE method is used to solve the multicomponent transport problem. This method is locally mass conserving and its second order convergence significantly reduces numerical dispersion. In terms of thermodynamics, the aqueous phase is considered as a compressible fluid and its properties are derived from a Cubic Plus Association (CPA) equation of state. The new simulator is validated against several benchmark problems (involving, e.g., Fickian and Nernst-Planck diffusion, isotope fractionation, advection-dispersion transport, and rock-fluid reactions) before demonstrating the expanded capabilities offered by the underlying FE foundation, such as high computational efficiency, parallelizability, low numerical dispersion, unstructured 3D gridding, and discrete fraction modeling.

A Selection of Benchmark Problems in Solid Mechanics and Applied Mathematics

In this contribution we provide benchmark problems in the field of computational solid mechanics. In detail, we address classical fields as elasticity, incompressibility, material interfaces, thin structures and plasticity at finite deformations. For this we describe explicit setups of the benchmarks and introduce the numerical schemes. For the computations the various participating groups use different (mixed) Galerkin finite element and isogeometric analysis formulations. Some programming codes are available open-source. The output is measured in terms of carefully designed quantities of interest that allow for a comparison of other models, discretizations, and implementations. Furthermore, computational robustness is shown in terms of mesh refinement studies. This paper presents benchmarks, which were developed within the Priority Programme of the German Research Foundation ‘SPP 1748 Reliable Simulation Techniques in Solid Mechanics—Development of Non-Standard Discretisation Methods, Mechanical and Mathematical Analysis’.

Cross flow on transient double‐diffusive natural convection in inclined porous trapezoidal enclosures

AbstractThis paper investigates the cross‐diffusion effects subject to exponential variable boundary conditions on transient double‐diffusive natural convection flow in an enclosure. The flow domain is a two‐dimensional inclined trapezoidal cavity filled with a porous medium. The top wall is assumed to be insulated and permeable, while the enclosure's bottom wall is subject to exponential varying temperature and concentration. The prescribed temperature and concentration are different at the vertical walls. Conservation equations are used as the governing equations. The finite element Galerkin weighted residual method, in association with the Newton‐Raphson scheme is employed to solve the system of coupled nondimensional equations. The numerical tests are confirmed with existing literature and are found to be in excellent agreement. The simulations results for stream functions, isotherms, and isoconcentrations are discussed for the various flow parameters. A sensitivity analysis using the response surface method suggests that the average Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are more sensitive to the cross‐diffusion effects. It is further observed that the cross‐diffusion terms stabilize the sensitivity to the angle of inclination.

CAS WAVELETS METHOD TO SOLVE REACTION-DIFFUSION SYSTEM AND COMPARE IT WITH (G.F.E) METHOD

Wavelet analysis plays a prominent role in various fields of scientific disciplines. Mainly, wavelets are very successfully used in signal analysis for waveform representation and segmentation, time-frequency analysis, and fast algorithms in the propagation equations and reaction. This research aimed to guide researchers to use Cos and Sin (CAS) to approximate the solution of the partial differential equation system. This method has been successfully applied to solve a coupled system of nonlinear Reaction-diffusion systems. It has been shown CAS wavelet method is quite capable and suited for finding exact solutions once the consistency of the method gives wider applicability where the main idea is to transform complex nonlinear partial differential equations into algebraic equation systems, which are easy to handle and find a numerical solution for them. By comparing the numerical solutions of the CAS and Galerkin finite elements methods, the answer of nonlinear Reaction-diffusion systems using the CAS wavelets for all tˆ and x values is accurate, reliable, robust, promising, and quickly arrives at the exact solution. When parameters 𝜀1 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜀2 are growing and with L decreasing, then the CAS method converges to steady-state solutions quickly (the less L, the more accurate the solution). It is converging towards steady-state solutions faster than and loses steps over time. Moreover, the results also show that the solution of the CAS wavelets is more reliable and faster compared to the Galerkin finite elements (G.F.E).

Parallel Matrix-Free Higher-Order Finite Element Solvers for Phase-Field Fracture Problems

Phase-field fracture models lead to variational problems that can be written as a coupled variational equality and inequality system. Numerically, such problems can be treated with Galerkin finite elements and primal-dual active set methods. Specifically, low-order and high-order finite elements may be employed, where, for the latter, only few studies exist to date. The most time-consuming part in the discrete version of the primal-dual active set (semi-smooth Newton) algorithm consists in the solutions of changing linear systems arising at each semi-smooth Newton step. We propose a new parallel matrix-free monolithic multigrid preconditioner for these systems. We provide two numerical tests, and discuss the performance of the parallel solver proposed in the paper. Furthermore, we compare our new preconditioner with a block-AMG preconditioner available in the literature.

Finite element error analysis of a time-fractional nonlocal diffusion equation with the Dirichlet energy

A time-fractional diffusion equation involving the Dirichlet energy is considered with nonlocal diffusion operator in the space which has dimension d∈{2,3} and the Caputo sense fractional derivative in time. Further, nonlocal term in diffusion operator is of Kirchhoff type. We discretize the space using the Galerkin finite elements and time using the finite difference scheme on a uniform mesh. First, we prove the existence and uniqueness of a fully discrete numerical solution of the problem using the Brouwer fixed point theorem. Then, we give a priori bounds and convergence estimates in L2 and L∞ norms for fully-discrete problem. A more delicate analysis in the error provides the second order convergence for the proposed scheme. Numerical results are provided to validate the theoretical analysis.

IPACS: Integrated Phase-Field Advanced Crack Propagation Simulator. An adaptive, parallel, physics-based-discretization phase-field framework for fracture propagation in porous media

In this work, we review and describe our computational framework for solving multiphysics phase-field fracture problems in porous media. Therein, the following five coupled nonlinear physical models are addressed: displacements (geo-mechanics), a phase-field variable to indicate the fracture position, a pressure equation (to describe flow), a proppant concentration equation, and/or a saturation equation for two-phase fracture flow, and finally a finite element crack width problem. The overall coupled problem is solved with a staggered solution approach, known in subsurface modeling as the fixed-stress iteration. A main focus is on physics-based discretizations. Galerkin finite elements are employed for the displacement-phase-field system and the crack width problem. Enriched Galerkin formulations are used for the pressure equation. Further enrichments using entropy-vanishing viscosity are employed for the proppant and/or saturation equations. A robust and efficient quasi-monolithic semi-smooth Newton solver, local mesh adaptivity, and parallel implementations allow for competitive timings in terms of the computational cost. Our framework can treat two- and three-dimensional realistic field and laboratory examples. The resulting program is an in-house code named IPACS (Integrated Phase-field Advanced Crack Propagation Simulator) and is based on the finite element library deal.II. Representative numerical examples are included in this document.

A coupled compressible flow and geomechanics model for dynamic fracture aperture during carbon sequestration in coal

SummaryThis paper presents the development of a discrete fracture model of fully coupled compressible fluid flow, adsorption and geomechanics to investigate the dynamic behaviour of fractures in coal. The model is applied in the study of geological carbon dioxide sequestration and differs from the dual porosity model developed in our previous work, with fractures now represented explicitly using lower‐dimensional interface elements. The model consists of the fracture‐matrix fluid transport model, the matrix deformation model and the stress‐strain model for fracture deformation. A sequential implicit numerical method based on Galerkin finite element is employed to numerically solve the coupled governing equations, and verification is completed using published solutions as benchmarks. To explore the dynamic behaviour of fractures for understanding the process of carbon sequestration in coal, the model is used to investigate the effects of gas injection pressure and composition, adsorption and matrix permeability on the dynamic behaviour of fractures. The numerical results indicate that injecting nonadsorbing gas causes a monotonic increase in fracture aperture; however, the evolution of fracture aperture due to gas adsorption is complex due to the swelling‐induced transition from local swelling to macro swelling. The change of fracture aperture is mainly controlled by the normal stress acting on the fracture surface. The fracture aperture initially increases for smaller matrix permeability and then declines after reaching a maximum value. When the local swelling becomes global, fracture aperture starts to rebound. However, when the matrix permeability is larger, the fracture aperture decreases before recovering to a higher value and remaining constant. Gas mixtures containing more carbon dioxide lead to larger closure of fracture aperture compared with those containing more nitrogen.

Computational study on MHD power-law fluid in tilted enclosure having sinusoidal heated sidewall

PurposeIn the present computational study, the heat transfer and two-dimensional natural convection flow of non-Newtonian power-law fluid in a tilted rectangular enclosure is examined. The left wall of enclosure is subjected to spatially varying sinusoidal temperature distribution and right wall is cooled isothermally while the upper and lower walls are retained to be adiabatic. The flow is considered to be laminar, steady and incompressible under the influence of magnetic field. The governing mass, momentum and energy equations are transformed into dimensionless form in terms of stream function, vorticity and temperature.Design/methodology/approachThen resulted highly non-linear partial differential equations are solved computationally using Galerkin finite element method.FindingsThe exhaustive flow pattern and temperature fields are displayed through streamlines and isotherm contours for various parameters, namely, Prandtl number, Rayleigh number, Hartmann number by considering different power-law index and inclination angle. The effect of inclination angle on average Nusselt number is also shown graphically. This problem observes the potential vortex flow with elliptical core. The results show that the circular strength of the vortex formed reduces as the magnetic field strength grows. As the inclination angle increases the intensity of flow field decreases while the value of average Nusselt number increases.Originality/valueThis study has important applications in thermal management such as cooling techniques used in buildings, nuclear reactors, heat exchangers and power generators.

Free convection of a suspension containing nano-encapsulated phase change material in a porous cavity; local thermal non-equilibrium model

Due to the instinctive temperature-dependent heat capacity of the Nano-Encapsulated Phase Change Material (NEPCM), there is a growing interest in the potential applications of such materials in heat transfer. As such, steady-state natural convection in a porous enclosure saturated with nanofluid using NEPCMs has been investigated in this study. The cavity is assumed to have constant hot and cold temperatures at the left and right vertical boundaries, respectively, and fully insulated from the bottom and top walls. Considering the Local Thermal Non-equilibrium (LTNE) approach for the porous structure, the governing equations are first non-dimensionalized and then solved by employing the finite element Galerkin method. The impact of different parameters, such as porous thermal conductivity (ks), solid-fluid interface heat transfer (10 ≤ H ≤ 105), Stefan number (0.2 ≤ Ste ≤ 1), and volume fraction of nanoparticles (0.0 ≤ φ ≤ 0.05) on the patterns of the fluid and solid isotherms, streamlines and the contours of the heat capacity ratio, fusion temperature (0.05 ≤ θf ≤ 1), local and average Nusselt numbers, and overall heat transfer ratio has been studied. It is shown that improving the porous thermal conductivity not only leads to an increase in the rate of heat transfer but also augments the fluid flow inside the cavity. For low values of the Ste, the rate of heat, transferred in the porous enclosure, is intensified. However, regardless of the amount of the Stefan number, the maximum rate of heat transfer is achievable when the non-dimensional fusion temperature is approximately 0.5. Employing NEPCMs in a highly conductive porous structure is more efficacious only when the phases are in the state of local thermal equilibrium. Nonetheless, the rate of heat transfer is higher when the Local thermal non-equilibrium is validated between the phases. Besides, for poor thermal conductivity of the porous medium like glass balls (LTE condition), adding 5% of the nano-encapsulated phase change materials to pure water can boost the rate of heat transfer up to 47% (for Ste = 0.2 and θf = 0.5). This thermal investigation of NEPCMs shows in detail how advantageous are these nanoparticles in heat transfer and opens up an avenue for further application-based studies.

Dynamic wetting failure in shear-thinning and shear-thickening liquids

Dynamic wetting failure in shear-thinning and shear-thickening liquids is examined in this paper. Flow visualization experiments using a curtain-coating geometry suggest that shear thinning postpones the onset of wetting failure and the resulting air entrainment. To advance the fundamental understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms, a hydrodynamic model consisting of liquid displacing air in a rectangular channel in the absence of inertia is developed. Both shear thinning and shear thickening are considered by using Carreau-type models to describe the liquid rheology. Steady-state solutions are calculated using the Galerkin finite-element method and the critical capillary number where wetting failure occurs is identified. Shear thinning is found to postpone the onset of wetting failure whereas shear thickening is found to promote it. The underlying mechanism involves thickening/thinning of the air film as a consequence of shear thinning/thickening of the liquid and the tangential stress balance. The results can be interpreted in terms of an effective viscosity, and demonstrate that similar physical mechanisms govern dynamic wetting failure in Newtonian, shear-thinning and shear-thickening liquids.

Weak Galerkin finite-element method for time-fractional nonlinear integro-differential equations

In this article, a fully discrete scheme for one-dimensional (1D) time-fractional nonlinear integro-differential equation is established based on the weak Galerkin finite-element method. The stability and convergence of this scheme are proved. Several numerical experiments are presented to illustrate the theoretical analysis and to show the strong potential of this method.

Finite element Galerkin method for 2D Sobolev equations with Burgers’ type nonlinearity

In this article, the global existence of a unique strong solution to the 2D Sobolev equation with Burgers’ type nonlinearity is established using weak or weak* compactness type arguments. When the forcing function (f ≠ 0) is in L∞(L2), new a priori bounds are derived, which are valid uniformly in time as t↦∞ and with respect to the dispersion coefficient μ as μ↦0. It is further shown that the solution of the Sobolev equation converges to the solution of the 2D-Burgers’ equation with order O(μ). A finite element method is applied to approximate the solution in the spatial direction and the existence of a global attractor is derived for the semidiscrete scheme. Further, using a priori bounds and an integral operator, optimal error estimates are derived in L∞(L2)-norm, which hold uniformly with respect to μ as μ → 0. Since the constants in the error estimates have exponential growth in time, therefore, under a certain uniqueness condition, the error bounds are derived which are uniformly in time. More importantly, all the above results remain valid as μ tends to zero. Finally, this paper concludes with some numerical examples.

Galerkin finite-element numerical analysis of the effects of heat generation and thermal radiation on MHD SWCNT–water nanofluid flow with a stretchable plate

Fundamental goal of the present communication is to analyse the viscous electrically conducting nanofluid flow near a stagnation region past a stretching sheet. Investigation of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are done and water is employed as the base fluid. Combinations of the effects of heat generation, thermal radiation, viscous dissipation and Joule heating are considered. Mathematical modelling and examinations are done in the presence of magnetic field. Similarity variables are introduced to convert nonlinear partial differential equations into nonlinear ordinary differential equations. Numerical solutions of the governing modelled equations are collected by applying Galerkin finite-element method. Impacts of distinct influential parameters such as velocity ratio parameter, solid volume fraction, magnetic parameter, radiation parameter, heat generation parameter and Brinkmann number on velocity, temperature, surface shear stress and surface heat flux are obtained and discussed. Furthermore, comparison of the results of the current analysis is made with the earlier published data.

Mixed convective hybrid nanofluid flow in lid-driven undulated cavity: effect of MHD and Joule heating

A numerical analysis has been conducted to show the effects of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) and Joule heating on heat transfer phenomenon in a lid driven triangular cavity. The heat transfer fluid (HTF) has been considered as water based hybrid nanofluid composed of equal quantities of Cu and TiO2 nanoparticles. The bottom wall of the cavity is undulated in sinusoidal pattern and cooled isothermally. The left vertical wall of the cavity is heated while the inclined side is insulated. The two dimensional governing partial differential equations of heat transfer and fluid flow with appropriate boundary conditions have been solved by using Galerkin's finite element method built in COMSOL Multyphysics. The effects of Hartmann number, Joule heating, number of undulation and Richardson number on the flow structure and heat transfer characteristics have been studied in details. The values of Prandtl number and solid volume fraction of hybrid nanoparticles have been considered as fixed. Also, the code validation has been shown. The numerical results have been presented in terms of streamlines, isotherms and average Nusselt number of the hybrid nanofluid for different values of governing parameters. The comparison of heat transfer rate by using hybrid nanofluid, Cu-water nanofluid, TiO2 -water nanofluid and clear water has been also shown. Increasing wave number from 0 to 3 enhances the heat transfer rate by 16.89%. The enhanced rate of mean Nusselt number for hybrid nanofluid is found as 4.11% compared to base fluid.

A Coupled Overset Mesh and Hybridizable Discontinuous Galerkin Algorithm for Pseudo-Compressible Flow

Abstract A previously presented overset mesh enabled hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin (HDG) finite element method is extended in this work to an isentropic compressible (pseudo-compressible) fluid. This formulation is a first-principles approach and is complementary to the augmented Lagrangian approach that was utilized in the previous HDG incompressible Navier–Stokes formulations which eliminate the global pressure field. This is the first original presentation combining overset meshes, HDG, and fluid flow, specifically isentropic flow for low Mach number applications. Verification of the code implementation of the proposed overset-HDG formulation is performed via the method of manufactured solutions (MMS) on a successively refined overset mesh configuration containing five meshes, and for order k=1,…,4, Lagrange polynomial elements in both two and three dimensions. Optimal order convergence, k + 1, can be observed in all fields for both the two- and three-dimensional simulations, for each mesh. A two-dimensional benchmark problem is also presented to enable code-to-code comparison as a preliminary validation exercise.