High Order Discontinuous Galerkin Schemes Research Articles

A note on higher-order and nonlinear limiting approaches for continuously bounds-preserving discontinuous Galerkin methods

In Dzanic (2024) [12], a limiting approach for high-order discontinuous Galerkin schemes was introduced which allowed for imposing constraints on the solution continuously (i.e., everywhere within the element). While exact for linear constraint functionals, this approach only imposed a sufficient (but not the minimum necessary) amount of limiting for nonlinear constraint functionals. This short note shows how this limiting approach can be extended to allow exactness for general nonlinear quasiconcave constraint functionals through a nonlinear limiting procedure, reducing unnecessary numerical dissipation. Some examples are shown for nonlinear pressure and entropy constraints in the compressible gas dynamics equations, where both analytic and iterative approaches are used.

A Posteriori Local Subcell Correction of High-Order Discontinuous Galerkin Scheme for Conservation Laws on Two-Dimensional Unstructured Grids

A Posteriori Local Subcell Correction of High-Order Discontinuous Galerkin Scheme for Conservation Laws on Two-Dimensional Unstructured Grids

Aircraft Simulations Using the New CFD Software from ONERA, DLR, and Airbus

This paper presents a thorough comparison between RANS simulations performed with the computational fluid dynamics by ONERA, DLR, and Airbus (CODA) new-generation flow solver and reference legacy codes TAU (DLR) and elsA (ONERA) for high-speed cruising NASA Common Research Model (CRM) configurations that were considered in the context of the 5th, 6th, and 7th Drag Prediction Workshops. The solver’s accuracy is assessed with several meshing strategies, including block-structured, hybrid-structured/unstructured, and fully unstructured tetrahedral meshes. This solver features both a cell-centered finite-volume (FV) scheme suited to arbitrary meshes as well as a modern high-order discontinuous Galerkin (DG) scheme. We show that for all cases considered, the FV component recovers an equivalent accuracy compared to elsA (cell-centered FV) on block-structured meshes and TAU (node-centered FV) on hybrid and unstructured meshes. The high-order DG scheme (third-order accurate) is found to significantly enhance the drag prediction on coarse meshes compared to legacy FV methods, both for structured and unstructured meshes.

A Numerical Test Rig for Turbomachinery Flows Based on Large Eddy Simulations With a High-Order Discontinuous Galerkin Scheme—Part I: Sliding Interfaces and Unsteady Row Interactions

Abstract In this first paper of a three-part series, we present the extension and validation of the high-order discontinuous Galerkin scheme in DLR’s CFD-solver trace for scale-resolving simulations of unsteady row interactions. The translational movement of rows in linear cascade experiments is represented in the numerical model by solving the equations in the relative frame of reference. To couple rows in different frames of reference, a sliding interface approach based on the mortar technique for non-conforming meshes has been developed. The verification of the approach is exemplified by three canonical test cases. First, the experimental order of convergence is verified for the isentropic vortex convection. Subsequently, the suitability of the sliding interface approach for scale-resolving simulations is tested on the Taylor–Green vortex flow and a turbulent cylinder flow. Finally, the LES solver is applied to the T106D cascade with upstream moving bars at an exit Reynolds number of 200,000 and exit Mach number of 0.4. The flow physics with and without bars is discussed in terms of the instantaneous flow field, and time- and phase-averaged quantities. The comparison with experimental data shows overall a good agreement, especially for the total pressure losses in the wake, but also reveals uncertainties related to the reproduction of an experiment in the numerical model.

A Numerical Test Rig for Turbomachinery Flows Based on Large Eddy Simulations With a High-Order Discontinuous Galerkin Scheme—Part III: Secondary Flow Effects

Abstract In this final paper of a three-part series, we apply the numerical test rig based on a high-order discontinuous Galerkin scheme to the MTU T161 low-pressure turbine with diverging end walls at off-design Reynolds number of 90,000, Mach number of 0.6, and inflow angle of 41 deg. The inflow end wall boundary layers are prescribed in accordance with the experiment. Validation of the setup is shown against recent numerical references and the corresponding experimental data. Additionally, we propose and conduct a purely numerical experiment with upstream bar wake generators at a Strouhal number of 1.25, which is well above what was possible in the experiment. We discuss the flow physics at midspan and in the end wall region and highlight the influence of the wakes from the upstream row on the complex secondary flow system using instantaneous flow visualization, phase averages, and modal decomposition techniques.

A Numerical Test Rig for Turbomachinery Flows Based on Large Eddy Simulations With a High-Order Discontinuous Galerkin Scheme—Part II: Shock Capturing and Transonic Flows

Abstract In the second paper of this three-part series, we focus on the simulation of transonic test cases for turbomachinery applications using a high-order discontinuous Galerkin spectral element method (DGSEM). High-fidelity simulations of transonic compressors and turbines are particularly challenging, as they typically occur at high Reynolds numbers and require additional treatment to reliably capture the shock waves characterizing such flows. A recently developed finite-volume subcell shock capturing scheme tailored for the DGSEM is applied and evaluated with regard to the shock sensor. To this end, we conduct implicit large eddy simulations of a high-pressure turbine cascade from the public literature and a transonic compressor cascade measured at the German Aerospace Center, both at a high Reynolds number above 106. Based on the results, we examine modal-energy and flow-feature based shock indicator functions, compare the simulation data to experimental and numerical studies, and present an analysis of the unsteady features of the flows.

Jump penalty stabilization techniques for under-resolved turbulence in discontinuous Galerkin schemes

Jump penalty stabilization techniques for under-resolved turbulence have been recently proposed for continuous and discontinuous high order Galerkin schemes [1–3]. The stabilization relies on the gradient or solution discontinuity at element interfaces to incorporate localised numerical diffusion in the numerical scheme. This diffusion acts as an implicit subgrid model and stabilizes under-resolved turbulent simulations.This paper investigates the effect of jump penalty stabilization methods (penalising gradient or solution) for stabilization and improvement of high-order discontinuous Galerkin schemes in turbulent regime. We analyze these schemes using an eigensolution analysis, a 1D non-linear Burgers equation (mimicking a turbulent cascade) and 3D turbulent Navier-Stokes simulations (Taylor-Green Vortex and Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability problems).We show that the two jump penalty stabilization techniques can stabilize under-resolved simulations thanks to the improved dispersion-dissipation characteristics (when compared to non-penalized schemes) and provide accurate results for turbulent flows. The numerical results indicate that the proposed jump penalty methods stabilize under-resolved simulations and improve the simulations, when compared to the original unpenalized scheme and to classic explicit subgrid models (Smagorinsky and Vreman).

Locally structure-preserving div-curl operators for high order discontinuous Galerkin schemes

We propose a novel Structure-Preserving Discontinuous Galerkin (SPDG) operator that recovers at the discrete level the algebraic property related to the divergence of the curl of a vector field, which is typically referred to as div-curl problem. A staggered Cartesian grid is adopted in 3D, where the vector field is naturally defined at the corners of the control volume, while its curl is evaluated as a cell-centered quantity. Firstly, the curl operator is rewritten as the divergence of a tensor, hence allowing compatible finite difference schemes to be devised and to be proven to mimic the algebraic div-curl property. Successively, a high order DG divergence operator is built upon integration by parts, so that the structure-preserving finite difference div-curl operator is exactly retrieved for first order discretizations. We further demonstrate that the novel SPDG schemes are capable of obtaining a zero div-curl identity with machine precision from second up to sixth order accuracy. Curl-grad operators follow as a consequence. In a second part, we show the applicability of these SPDG methods by solving the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations written in vortex-stream formulation. This hyperbolic system deals with divergence-free involutions related to the velocity and vorticity field as well as to the stream function, thus it provides an ideal setting for the validation of the novel schemes. A compatible discretization of the numerical viscosity is also proposed in order to maintain the structure-preserving property of the div-curl DG operators even in the presence of artificial or physical dissipative terms. Finally, to overcome the time step restriction dictated by the viscous sub-system, Implicit-Explicit (IMEX) Runge-Kutta time stepping techniques are tailored to handle the SPDG framework. Numerical examples show that the theoretical order of convergence is reached by this new class of methods, and prove the exact preservation of the incompressibility constraint.

A modified equation analysis for immersed boundary methods based on volume penalization: Applications to linear advection–diffusion equations and high-order discontinuous Galerkin schemes

The Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) is a popular numerical approach to impose boundary conditions without relying on body-fitted grids, thus reducing the costly effort of mesh generation. To obtain enhanced accuracy, IBM can be combined with high-order methods (e.g., discontinuous Galerkin). For this combination to be effective, an analysis of the numerical errors is essential. In this work, we apply, for the first time, a modified equation analysis to the combination of IBM (based on volume penalization) and high-order methods (based on nodal discontinuous Galerkin methods) to analyze a priori numerical errors and obtain practical guidelines on the selection of IBM parameters. The analysis is performed on a linear advection–diffusion equation with Dirichlet boundary conditions. Three ways to penalize the immersed boundary are considered, the first penalizes the solution inside the IBM region (classic approach), whilst the second and third penalize the first and second derivatives of the solution. We find optimal combinations of the penalization parameters, including the first and second penalizing derivatives, resulting in minimum errors. We validate the theoretical analysis with numerical experiments for one- and two-dimensional advection–diffusion equations.

H-adaptation for high-order discontinuous Galerkin schemes built on local multiwavelet analysis

We develop and analyze error estimators and mesh adaptation strategies within a discontinuous Galerkin formulation. The basic idea of the study is to reduce the computational cost of the simulation by employing mesh adaptation as a better alternative to the use of uniform grids. The novelty of the study resides in the use of multiwavelets and how their remarkable properties may shed new light on driving the adaptation process. This is motivated by the fact that multiwavelets break any input apart into a hierarchy of low resolution data and subsequently finer details. Our error estimator makes use of multiwavelets’ properties while being local to the element, thereby maintaining the parallel efficiency of the solver. Early tests on the one-dimensional viscous Burgers equation have shown convincing results (García Bautista et al. [1]). This work is focused on the laminar backward-facing step configuration to assess the performance of the method in higher dimensions.

Positivity-Preserving Lax–Wendroff Discontinuous Galerkin Schemes for Quadrature-Based Moment-Closure Approximations of Kinetic Models

The quadrature-based method of moments (QMOM) offers a promising class of approximation techniques for reducing kinetic equations to fluid equations that are valid beyond thermodynamic equilibrium. In this work, we study a particular five-moment variant of QMOM known as HyQMOM and establish that this system is moment-invertible over a convex region in solution space. We then develop a high-order discontinuous Galerkin (DG) scheme for solving the resulting fluid system. The scheme is based on a predictor–corrector approach, where the prediction is a localized space-time DG scheme. The nonlinear algebraic system in this prediction is solved using a Picard iteration. The correction is a straightforward explicit update based on the time-integral of the evolution equation, where the space-time prediction replaces all instances of the exact solution. In the absence of limiters, the high-order scheme does not guarantee that solutions remain in the convex set over which HyQMOM is moment-realizable. To overcome this, we introduce novel limiters that rigorously guarantee that the computed solution does not leave the convex set of realizable solutions, thus guaranteeing the hyperbolicity of the system. We develop positivity-preserving limiters in both the prediction and correction steps and an oscillation limiter that damps unphysical oscillations near shocks. We also develop a novel extension of this scheme to include a BGK collision operator; the proposed method is shown to be asymptotic-preserving in the high-collision limit. The HyQMOM and the HyQMOM-BGK solvers are verified on several test cases, demonstrating high-order accuracy on smooth problems and shock-capturing capability on problems with shocks. The asymptotic-preserving property of the HyQMOM-BGK solver is also numerically verified.

Is the classic convex decomposition optimal for bound-preserving schemes in multiple dimensions?

Since proposed in Zhang and Shu (2010) [1], the Zhang–Shu framework has attracted extensive attention and motivated many bound-preserving (BP) high-order discontinuous Galerkin and finite volume schemes for various hyperbolic equations. A key ingredient in the framework is the decomposition of the cell averages of the numerical solution into a convex combination of the solution values at certain quadrature points, which helps to rewrite high-order schemes as convex combinations of formally first-order schemes. The classic convex decomposition originally proposed by Zhang and Shu has been widely used over the past decade. It was verified, only for the 1D quadratic and cubic polynomial spaces, that the classic decomposition is optimal in the sense of achieving the mildest BP CFL condition. Yet, it remained unclear whether the classic decomposition is optimal in multiple dimensions. In this paper, we find that the classic multidimensional decomposition based on the tensor product of Gauss–Lobatto and Gauss quadratures is generally not optimal, and we discover a novel alternative decomposition for the 2D and 3D polynomial spaces of total degree up to 2 and 3, respectively, on Cartesian meshes. Our new decomposition allows a larger BP time step-size than the classic one, and moreover, it is rigorously proved to be optimal to attain the mildest BP CFL condition, yet requires much fewer nodes. The discovery of such an optimal convex decomposition is highly nontrivial yet meaningful, as it may lead to an improvement of high-order BP schemes for a large class of hyperbolic or convection-dominated equations, at the cost of only a slight and local modification to the implementation code. Several numerical examples are provided to further validate the advantages of using our optimal decomposition over the classic one in terms of efficiency.

A scalable DG solver for the electroneutral Nernst-Planck equations

The robust, scalable simulation of flowing electrochemical systems is increasingly important due to the synergy between intermittent renewable energy and electrochemical technologies such as energy storage and chemical manufacturing. The high Péclet regime of many such applications prevents the use of off-the-shelf discretization methods. In this work, we present a high-order Discontinuous Galerkin scheme for the electroneutral Nernst-Planck equations. The chosen charge conservation formulation allows for the specific treatment of the different physics: upwinding for advection and migration, and interior penalty for diffusion of ionic species as well the electric potential. Similarly, the formulation enables different treatments in the preconditioner: AMG for the potential blocks and ILU-based methods for the advection-dominated concentration blocks. We evaluate the convergence rate of the discretization scheme through numerical tests. Strong scaling results for two preconditioning approaches are shown for a large 3D flow-plate reactor example.

A simple and general framework for the construction of thermodynamically compatible schemes for computational fluid and solid mechanics

We introduce a simple and general framework for the construction of thermodynamically compatible schemes for the numerical solution of overdetermined hyperbolic PDE systems that satisfy an extra conservation law. As a particular example in this paper, we consider the general Godunov-Peshkov-Romenski (GPR) model of continuum mechanics that describes the dynamics of nonlinear solids and viscous fluids in one single unified mathematical formalism.A main peculiarity of the new algorithms presented in this manuscript is that the entropy inequality is solved as a primary evolution equation instead of the usual total energy conservation law, unlike in most traditional schemes for hyperbolic PDE. Instead, total energy conservation is obtained as a mere consequence of the proposed thermodynamically compatible discretization. The approach is based on the general framework introduced in Abgrall (2018) [1]. In order to show the universality of the concept proposed in this paper, we apply our new formalism to the construction of three different numerical methods. First, we construct a thermodynamically compatible finite volume (FV) scheme on collocated Cartesian grids, where discrete thermodynamic compatibility is achieved via an edge/face-based correction that makes the numerical flux thermodynamically compatible. Second, we design a first type of high order accurate and thermodynamically compatible discontinuous Galerkin (DG) schemes that employs the same edge/face-based numerical fluxes that were already used inside the finite volume schemes. And third, we introduce a second type of thermodynamically compatible DG schemes, in which thermodynamic compatibility is achieved via an element-wise correction, instead of the edge/face-based corrections that were used within the compatible numerical fluxes of the former two methods. All methods proposed in this paper can be proven to be nonlinearly stable in the energy norm and they all satisfy a discrete entropy inequality by construction. We present numerical results obtained with the new thermodynamically compatible schemes in one and two space dimensions for a large set of benchmark problems, including inviscid and viscous fluids as well as solids. An interesting finding made in this paper is that, in numerical experiments, one can observe that for smooth isentropic flows the particular formulation of the new schemes in terms of entropy density, instead of total energy density, as primary state variable leads to approximately twice the convergence rate of high order DG schemes for the entropy density.

High-order Wachspress functions on convex polygons through computer algebra

The finite element method stands out as a powerful tool for modelling engineering problems. They are particularly well suited thanks to adaptive discretization techniques involving mesh size (h) or polynomial degree (p) or a combination of both (hp). In the case of p-adaptiveness, high-order function bases are required on the elements.For polygonal elements in 2D, Wachspress proved that, in the general case, it is not possible to construct a set of Lagrange finite elements with polynomial functions. Instead, this can be achieved through a popular set of basis functions which are generalized barycentric coordinates. One such family of functions is the Wachspress functions which are well suited for strictly convex polygons.While recent work has led to the construction of quadratic approximations from first-order Wachspress functions, there exists no approach for generalizing to higher orders for any strictly convex polygon. This work provides a general method to develop k-order Wachspress bases for any m-face polygon, where k<m. This method relies on symbolic computation for the assembly of a linear system whose numerical solution gives the values of the unknown coefficients of the Wachspress functions, and can be viewed as a generalization of Dasgupta's GADJ algorithm.This work originates from the development of a high-order Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) scheme for the solution of a linear transport equation over honeycomb meshes. As such, the regular hexagon is the strictly convex polygon taken as an example to describe the proposed method. We ensure that the functions obtained enforce the constraints required for their application in a finite element approach. Furthermore, we have successfully applied these functions to a finite element discretization of the Poisson equation and provided a test case for the linear transport equation on honeycomb meshes.In addition, further results are provided for an irregular pentagon to show the generality of the approach.

Positivity-preserving high order finite difference WENO schemes for compressible Navier-Stokes equations

In this paper, we construct a high order weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) finite difference discretization for compressible Navier-Stokes (NS) equations, which is rendered positivity-preserving of density and internal energy by a positivity-preserving flux splitting and a scaling positivity-preserving limiter. The novelty of this paper is WENO reconstruction performed on variables from a positivity-preserving convection diffusion flux splitting, which is different from conventional WENO schemes solving compressible NS equations. The core advantages of our proposed method are robustness and efficiency, which especially are suitable for solving tough demanding problems of both compressible Euler and NS equation including low density and low pressure flow regime. Moreover, in terms of computational cost, it is more efficient and easier to implement and extend to multi-dimensional problems than the positivity-preserving high order discontinuous Galerkin schemes and finite volume WENO scheme for solving compressible NS equations on rectangle domain. Benchmark tests demonstrate that the proposed positivity-preserving WENO schemes are high order accuracy, efficient and robust without excessive artificial viscosity for demanding problems involving with low density, low pressure, and fine structure.

A posteriori Finite-Volume local subcell correction of high-order discontinuous Galerkin schemes for the nonlinear shallow-water equations

We design and analyze a new discretization method for the nonlinear shallow water equations, which is based on an equivalent representation of arbitrary high-order Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) schemes through piecewise constant modes on a sub-grid, together with a selective a posteriori local correction of the sub-interface reconstructed flux. This new approach, based on F. Vilar (2019) [101], allows to combine at the subcell scale the excellent robustness properties of the Finite-Volume (FV) lowest-order method and the high-order accuracy of the DG method. For any order of polynomial approximation, the resulting algorithm is shown to: (i) accurately handle strong shocks with no robustness issues; (ii) ensure the preservation of the water height positivity at the subcell level; (iii) preserve the class of motionless steady states (well-balancing); (iv) retain the highly accurate subcell resolution of DG schemes. These assets are numerically illustrated through an extensive set of test-cases, with a particular emphasize put on the use of very-high order polynomial approximations on coarse grids.

A coupled discontinuous Galerkin-Finite Volume framework for solving gas dynamics over embedded geometries

We present a computational framework for solving the equations of inviscid gas dynamics using structured grids with embedded geometries. The novelty of the proposed approach is the use of high-order discontinuous Galerkin (dG) schemes and a shock-capturing Finite Volume (FV) scheme coupled via an hp adaptive mesh refinement (hp-AMR) strategy that offers high-order accurate resolution of the embedded geometries. The hp-AMR strategy is based on a multi-level block-structured domain partition in which each level is represented by block-structured Cartesian grids and the embedded geometry is represented implicitly by a level set function. The intersection of the embedded geometry with the grids produces the implicitly-defined mesh that consists of a collection of regular rectangular cells plus a relatively small number of irregular curved elements in the vicinity of the embedded boundaries. High-order quadrature rules for implicitly-defined domains enable high-order accuracy resolution of the curved elements with a cell-merging strategy to address the small-cell problem. The hp-AMR algorithm treats the system with a second-order finite volume scheme at the finest level to dynamically track the evolution of solution discontinuities while using dG schemes at coarser levels to provide high-order accuracy in smooth regions of the flow. On the dG levels, the methodology supports different orders of basis functions on different levels. The space-discretized governing equations are then advanced explicitly in time using high-order Runge-Kutta algorithms. Numerical tests are presented for two-dimensional and three-dimensional problems involving an ideal gas. The results are compared with both analytical solutions and experimental observations and demonstrate that the framework provides high-order accuracy for smooth flows and accurately captures solution discontinuities.

Large-Eddy Simulation of Supersonic Jet Noise with Discontinuous Galerkin Methods

We conduct large-eddy simulations to investigate the role of thermal nonuniformity on the development of instability modes in the shear layer of supersonic jets. We develop an arbitrary high-order discontinuous Galerkin scheme, build meshes with over 100 million degrees of freedom, and validate the model against particle image velocimetry (PIV) and microphone data. The analysis focuses on both numerical issues (such as convergence against the polynomial order of the mesh), modeling issues (such as the choice of subgrid model), and underlying physics (such as vortex stretching and noise generation). We consider the use of wall models to capture the viscous sublayer at the nozzle. We conclude that the Vreman subgrid-scale model leads to the most accurate predictions of both the near-field velocity and the far-field noise, while the Smagorinsky model is best in the nozzle and near the lip area. Injection in the shear layer is more effective at reducing sound generation in the near field than injection in the core. The difference in effectiveness is less substantial in the far field. Injection in the shear layer creates an unstable three-dimensional structure that leads to loss of coherency and three-dimensional effects in the core. Three-dimensionality in the core supports vortex stretching leading to fast mixing.

Implementation of the transition model for high order discontinuous Galerkin method with hybrid discretization strategy

The γ-Reθt⌢ transition model has been applied within the framework of high order discontinuous Galerkin (DG) discretization of Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations. A hybrid discretization strategy that takes advantage of all available information from DG method is suggested for the implementation of the transition model. Some techniques for the spatial and temporal discretization are utilized to enhance the effectiveness of the method. The resulting approaches achieve high accuracy of transition prediction and meanwhile do not increase notable computational challenge when compared to DG discretization of fully coupled RANS/transition system. We carry out both steady and unsteady transitional simulations to examine the performance of the designed method. Numerical results have demonstrated that the present approaches are capable of capturing the transition flow characteristics as well as improving transition prediction accuracy with high order DG schemes.