Pressure Stabilized Petrov-Galerkin Research Articles

A time-consistent stabilized finite element method for fluids with applications to hemodynamics

Several finite element methods for simulating incompressible flows rely on the streamline upwind Petrov–Galerkin stabilization (SUPG) term, which is weighted by tau _{text{SUPG}}. The conventional formulation of tau _{text{SUPG}} includes a constant that depends on the time step size, producing an overall method that becomes exceedingly less accurate as the time step size approaches zero. In practice, such method inconsistency introduces significant error in the solution, especially in cardiovascular simulations, where small time step sizes may be required to resolve multiple scales of the blood flow. To overcome this issue, we propose a consistent method that is based on a new definition of tau _{text{SUPG}}. This method, which can be easily implemented on top of an existing streamline upwind Petrov–Galerkin and pressure stabilizing Petrov–Galerkin method, involves the replacement of the time step size in tau _{text{SUPG}} with a physical time scale. This time scale is calculated in a simple operation once every time step for the entire computational domain from the ratio of the L2-norm of the acceleration and the velocity. The proposed method is compared against the conventional method using four cases: a steady pipe flow, a blood flow through vascular anatomy, an external flow over a square obstacle, and a fluid–structure interaction case involving an oscillatory flexible beam. These numerical experiments, which are performed using linear interpolation functions, show that the proposed formulation eliminates the inconsistency issue associated with the conventional formulation in all cases. While the proposed method is slightly more costly than the conventional method, it significantly reduces the error, particularly at small time step sizes. For the pipe flow where an exact solution is available, we show the conventional method can over-predict the pressure drop by a factor of three. This large error is almost completely eliminated by the proposed formulation, dropping to approximately 1% for all time step sizes and Reynolds numbers considered.

High-order moving immersed boundary and its application to a resolved CFD-DEM model

The sharp interface immersed boundary method (IBM) is a powerful tool to simulate the flow around moving objects. This paper extends this method to simulate the motion of particles immersed in a fluid. We introduce a new implicit coupling scheme between the solid and fluid phases, verify the high–order of convergence of the scheme, and validate it using four cases. The fluid dynamics is simulated using a streamline upwind Petrov–Galerkin and pressure-stabilizing Petrov–Galerkin (SUPG/PSPG) stabilizations. The particles’ dynamics and contact are solved using Newton’s second law of motion and a soft sphere contact model derived from the discrete element method. The first validation case is the sedimentation of a lone particle with a Reynolds number smaller than 32. The second validation case is the rise of a positively buoyant particle at a high Reynolds number (2500). The third validation case demonstrates the stability of the scheme when particles are in contact and exhibit the classical drafting, kissing, and tumbling (DKT) behavior. Finally, we use the scheme to study the Boycott effect with a larger number of particles (64) to show the stability of the scheme in cases with numerous particle–particle and particle–wall contacts.

Simulation of Drag Crisis in Flow Past a Circular Cylinder using 2D Computations

The unsteady incompressible 2D Navier-Stokes equations are solved using a finite element method with Streamline-Upwind/Petrov-Galerkin (SUPG) and Pressure-Stabilizing/Petrov- Galerkin (PSPG) stabilization terms for high Reynolds number (105 to I06) flow past a cylinder to stimulate drag-crisis. The mean drag coefficient for various Re are compared with experimental data. It is observed that the low at Re =106 separates much later, from the cylinder surface as compared to that at Re =105. The wake at Re =106 is narrower than that at Re = 105. The time-averaged flow field shows a standing bubble just downstream of the flow separation point for the Re = 105 flow. The bubble is not observed for the flow at Re = 106. The energy spectrum of the flow exhibits the characteristics of 2D isotropic turbulence.

Space–time computational flow analysis: Unconventional methods and first-ever solutions

The Deforming-Spatial-Domain/Stabilized Space–Time (DSD/SST) method was introduced in 1990 as a moving-mesh method for computational analysis of flows with moving boundaries and interfaces (MBI), which is a wide class of problems that includes fluid–particle and fluid–structure interactions and free-surface and multi-fluid flows. The method was inspired by Thomas Hughes’s 1987 work on space–time finite element methods for elastodynamics. The original DSD/SST method is now called “ST-SUPS”, reflecting its stabilization components, which are the Streamline-Upwind/Petrov–Galerkin (SUPG) method, pioneered by Hughes, and the Pressure-Stabilizing/Petrov–Galerkin (PSPG) method, inspired by Hughes’s work on a Stokes-flow Petrov–Galerkin formulation allowing equal-order interpolations for velocity and pressure. Hughes’s work on the residual-based variational multiscale (RBVMS) method inspired the ST-VMS method, which is the VMS version of the DSD/SST. A number of special methods were introduced in connection with the core methods ST-SUPS and ST-VMS. Hughes’s work on isogeometric analysis (IGA) inspired one of those special methods, the “ST-IGA”, with IGA basis functions not only in space but also in time. The core and special ST methods enabled first-ever solutions in some of the most challenging classes of MBI problems, including particle-laden flows, spacecraft parachute fluid–structure interactions, and car and tire aerodynamics. We provide an overview of the ST methods inspired by Hughes’s work and highlight some of the first-ever solutions in these three classes of MBI problems.

An Efficient Chorin–Temam Projection Proper Orthogonal Decomposition Based Reduced-Order Model for Nonstationary Stokes Equations

In this paper, we propose an efficient proper orthogonal decomposition based reduced-order model(POD-ROM) for nonstationary Stokes equations, which combines the classical projection method with POD technique. This new scheme mainly owns two advantages: the first one is low computational costs since the classical projection method decouples the reduced-order velocity variable and reduced-order pressure variable, and POD technique further improves the computational efficiency; the second advantage consists of circumventing the verification of classical LBB/inf-sup condition for mixed POD spaces with the help of pressure stabilized Petrov-Galerkin(PSPG)-type projection method, where the pressure stabilization term is inherent which allows the use of non inf-sup stable elements without adding extra stabilization terms. We first obtain the convergence of PSPG-type finite element projection scheme, and then analyze the proposed projection POD-ROM's stability and convergence. Numerical experiments validate out theoretical results.

Development of a high-order continuous Galerkin sharp-interface immersed boundary method and its application to incompressible flow problems

The sharp-interface immersed boundary method is a strategy to impose boundary conditions on complex geometries while simplifying the meshing process. This method can offer a high-order of accuracy. Most sharp-interface methods have been developed in the context of the finite volume or the finite difference methods. In this paper, we introduce, verify and validate a novel high-order sharp-interface immersed boundary method in the context of the finite element method. We apply this method to the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations using a pressure-stabilizing/Petrov–Galerkin (PSPG) stabilization. We verify that we obtain a high order of convergence using a Taylor–Couette flow. We validate the results obtained for the drag, lift, and Strouhal number of the flow behind a cylinder at Re=200. We investigate the flow around a sphere at Re=100 and compare the drag force and the characteristics of the recirculating zones with experimental and numerical results obtained in the literature. Finally, the sharp-interface method is used to study a packing of 10 spheres at Re=50, and the results are compared to those obtained with a conformal mesh. It is shown that the sharp-interface immersed boundary preserves the high-order of the finite element scheme and accurately predicts the steady-state and transient flow around particles including the evaluation of the particle-fluid forces.

A global residual‐based stabilization for equal‐order finite element approximations of incompressible flows

AbstractDue to simplicity in implementation and data structure, elements with equal‐order interpolation of velocity and pressure are very popular in finite‐element‐based flow simulations. Although such pairs are inf‐sup unstable, various stabilization techniques exist to circumvent that and yield accurate approximations. The most popular one is the pressure‐stabilized Petrov–Galerkin (PSPG) method, which consists of relaxing the incompressibility constraint with a weighted residual of the momentum equation. Yet, PSPG can perform poorly for low‐order elements in diffusion‐dominated flows, since first‐order polynomial spaces are unable to approximate the second‐order derivatives required for evaluating the viscous part of the stabilization term. Alternative techniques normally require additional projections or unconventional data structures. In this context, we present a novel technique that rewrites the second‐order viscous term as a first‐order boundary term, thereby allowing the complete computation of the residual even for lowest‐order elements. Our method has a similar structure to standard residual‐based formulations, but the stabilization term is computed globally instead of only in element interiors. This results in a scheme that does not relax incompressibility, thereby leading to improved approximations. The new method is simple to implement and accurate for a wide range of stabilization parameters, which is confirmed by various numerical examples.

A stabilized ALE method for computational fluid–structure interaction analysis of passive morphing in turbomachinery

Computational fluid–structure interaction (FSI) and flow analysis now have a significant role in design and performance evaluation of turbomachinery systems, such as wind turbines, fans, and turbochargers. With increasing scope and fidelity, computational analysis can help improve the design and performance. For example, it can help add a passive morphing attachment (MA) to the blades of an axial fan for the purpose of controlling the blade load and section stall. We present a stabilized Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) method for computational FSI analysis of passive morphing in turbomachinery. The main components of the method are the Streamline-Upwind/Petrov–Galerkin (SUPG) and Pressure-Stabilizing/Petrov–Galerkin (PSPG) stabilizations in the ALE framework, mesh moving with Jacobian-based stiffening, and block-iterative FSI coupling. The turbulent-flow nature of the analysis is handled with a Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) model and SUPG/PSPG stabilization, supplemented with the “DRDJ” stabilization. As the structure moves, the fluid mechanics mesh moves with the Jacobian-based stiffening method, which reduces the deformation of the smaller elements placed near the solid surfaces. The FSI coupling between the blocks of the fully-discretized equation system representing the fluid mechanics, structural mechanics, and mesh moving equations is handled with the block-iterative coupling method. We present two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) computational FSI studies for an MA added to an axial-fan blade. The results from the 2D study are used in determining the spanwise length of the MA in the 3D study.

Computational analysis of performance deterioration of a wind turbine blade strip subjected to environmental erosion

Wind-turbine blade rain and sand erosion, over long periods of time, can degrade the aerodynamic performance and therefore the power production. Computational analysis of the erosion can help engineers have a better understanding of the maintenance and protection requirements. We present an integrated method for this class of computational analysis. The main components of the method are the streamline-upwind/Petrov–Galerkin (SUPG) and pressure-stabilizing/Petrov–Galerkin (PSPG) stabilizations, a finite element particle-cloud tracking method, an erosion model based on two time scales, and the solid-extension mesh moving technique (SEMMT). The turbulent-flow nature of the analysis is handled with a Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes model and SUPG/PSPG stabilization, the particle-cloud trajectories are calculated based on the computed flow field and closure models defined for the turbulent dispersion of particles, and one-way dependence is assumed between the flow and particle dynamics. Because the geometry update due to the erosion has a very long time scale compared to the fluid–particle dynamics, the update takes place in a sequence of “evolution steps” representing the impact of the erosion. A scale-up factor, calculated in different ways depending on the update threshold criterion, relates the erosions and particle counts in the evolution steps to those in the fluid–particle simulation. As the blade geometry evolves, the mesh is updated with the SEMMT. We present computational analysis of rain and sand erosion for a wind-turbine blade strip, including a case with actual rainfall data and experimental aerodynamic data for eroded airfoil geometries.

Error analysis of projection methods for non inf-sup stable mixed finite elements. The transient Stokes problem

A modified Chorin–Teman (Euler non-incremental) projection method and a modified Euler incremental projection method for non inf-sup stable mixed finite elements are analyzed. The analysis of the classical Euler non-incremental and Euler incremental methods are obtained as a particular case. We first prove that the modified Euler non-incremental scheme has an inherent stabilization that allows the use of non inf-sup stable mixed finite elements without any kind of extra added stabilization. We show that it is also true in the case of the classical Chorin–Temam method. For the second scheme, we study a stabilization that allows the use of equal-order pairs of finite elements. The relation of the methods with the so-called pressure stabilized Petrov Galerkin method (PSPG) is established. The influence of the chosen initial approximations in the computed approximations to the pressure is analyzed. Numerical tests confirm the theoretical results.

Error Analysis of Projection Methods for Non inf-sup Stable Mixed Finite Elements: The Navier–Stokes Equations

We obtain error bounds for a modified Chorin-Teman (Euler non-incremental) method for non inf-sup stable mixed finite elements applied to the evolutionary Navier-Stokes equations. The analysis of the classical Euler non-incremental method is obtained as a particular case. We prove that the modified Euler non-incremental scheme has an inherent stabilization that allows the use of non inf-sup stable mixed finite elements without any kind of extra added stabilization. We show that it is also true in the case of the classical Chorin-Temam method. The relation of the methods with the so called pressure stabilized Petrov Galerkin method (PSPG) is established. We do not assume non-local compatibility conditions for the solution.

Computational analysis of wind-turbine blade rain erosion

Abstract Wind-turbine blade rain erosion damage could be significant if the blades are not protected. This damage would not typically influence the structural integrity of the blades, but it could degrade the aerodynamic performance and therefore the power production. We present computational analysis of rain erosion in wind-turbine blades. The main components of the method used in the analysis are the Streamline-Upwind/Petrov–Galerkin (SUPG) and Pressure-Stabilizing/Petrov–Galerkin (PSPG) stabilizations, a finite element particle-cloud tracking method, and an erosion model. The turbulent-flow nature of the analysis is handled with a RANS model and SUPG/PSPG stabilization, the particle-cloud trajectories are calculated based on the computed flow field and closure models defined for the turbulent dispersion of particles, and one-way dependence is assumed between the flow and particle dynamics. The erosion patterns are then computed based on the particle-cloud data. The patterns are consistent with those observed in the actual wind turbines.

An artificial compressibility based fractional step method for solving time dependent incompressible flow equations. Temporal accuracy and similarity with a monolithic method

In this note, an artificial compressibility based fractional step method is analysed against a monolithic scheme for solving incompressible flow equations. The artificial compressibility (AC) procedure presented in this paper is stabilized via a characteristic based split (CBS), and thus it is referred to as the AC-CBS method. The monolithic method used for comparison in the present study is the pressure stabilized Petrov–Galerkin (PSPG) method. It is shown that the AC-CBS and PSPG procedures are identical in structure, except for the stabilization parameters. For unsteady problems, a dual time stepping algorithm is employed in the AC-CBS scheme. Unlike classical fractional step methods, this dual time stepping mechanism circumvents the temporal pressure splitting error, and thus provides the anticipated temporal accuracy. The temporal accuracy of the AC-CBS method is demonstrated via a standard benchmark problem. Up to fourth order time accurate schemes are introduced for a thorough analysis of the AC-CBS scheme.

Linear-quadratic optimal control for the Oseen equations with stabilized finite elements

For robust discretizations of the Navier-Stokes equations with small viscosity, standard Galerkin schemes have to be augmented by stabilization terms due to the indefinite convective terms and due to a possible lost of a discrete inf-sup condition. For optimal control problems for fluids such stabilization have in general an undesired effect in the sense that optimization and discretization do not commute. This is the case for the combination of streamline upwind Petrov-Galerkin (SUPG) and pressure stabilized Petrov-Galerkin (PSPG). In this work we study the effect of different stabilized finite element methods to distributed control problems governed by singular perturbed Oseen equations. In particular, we address the question whether a possible commutation error in optimal control problems lead to a decline of convergence order. Therefore, we give a priori estimates for SUPG/PSPG. In a numerical study for a flow with boundary layers, we illustrate to which extend the commutation error affects the accuracy.

Analysis of a stabilized finite element method for fluid flows through a porous interface

This work is devoted to the numerical simulation of an incompressible fluid through a porous interface, modeled as a macroscopic resistive interface term in the Stokes equations. We improve the results reported in [M.A. Fernández, J.-F. Gerbeau, V. Martin, Numerical simulation of blood flows through a porous interface, Math. Model. Num. Anal. (M2AN) 42 (6) (2008) 961–990], by showing that the standard Pressure Stabilized Petrov–Galerkin (PSPG) finite element method is stable, and optimally convergent, without the need for controlling the pressure jump across the interface.

Stabilized finite element computation of NOx emission in aero‐engine combustors

AbstractA stabilized finite element formulation for the computation of turbulent reacting flows and NOx emission is presented. The method is based on the Streamline‐Upwind/Petrov–Galerkin (SUPG) and Pressure‐Stabilizing/Petrov‐Galerkin (PSPG) formulations, complemented with directionally formulated diffusion for reaction‐dominated flows (‘DRDJ’ stabilization). The stabilized formulation is applied to the advection–diffusion–reaction equations governing the turbulent combustion and the NOx emission equations based on the thermal and the N2O pathways. The simulation is carried out for a co‐axial burner, with a non‐premixed swirling flame. The burner is operated at high pressure to represent the take‐off conditions for an aero‐engine. The vortical patterns of the swirling flame are analyzed together with the temperature field and flame position. The NOx formation processes are discussed, providing insight into the features of thermal and N2O mechanisms. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A stabilized MLPG method for steady state incompressible fluid flow simulation

In this paper, the meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) method is extended to solve the incompressible fluid flow problems. The streamline upwind Petrov–Galerkin (SUPG) method is applied to overcome oscillations in convection-dominated problems, and the pressure-stabilizing Petrov–Galerkin (PSPG) method is applied to satisfy the so-called Babuška–Brezzi condition. The same stabilization parameter τ( τ SUPG = τ PSPG ) is used in the present method. The circle domain of support, linear basis, and fourth-order spline weight function are applied to compute the shape function, and Bubnov–Galerkin method is applied to discretize the PDEs. The lid-driven cavity flow, backward facing step flow and natural convection in the square cavity are applied to validate the accuracy and feasibility of the present method. The results show that the stability of the present method is very good and convergent solutions can be obtained at high Reynolds number. The results of the present method are in good agreement with the classical results. It also seems that the present method (which is a truly meshless) is very promising in dealing with the convection- dominated problems.

Optimal aerodynamic design of airfoils in unsteady viscous flows

A continuous adjoint formulation is used to determine optimal airfoil shapes in unsteady viscous flows at Re = 1 × 10 4. The Reynolds number is based on the free-stream speed and the chord length of the airfoil. A finite element method based on streamline-upwind Petrov/Galerkin (SUPG) and pressure-stabilized Petrov/Galerkin (PSPG) stabilizations is used to solve both the flow and adjoint equations. The airfoil is parametrized via a Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS) curve. Three different objective functions are used to obtain optimal shapes: maximize lift, minimize drag and minimize ratio of drag to lift. The objective functions are formulated on the basis of time-averaged aerodynamic coefficients. The three objective functions result in diverse airfoil geometries. The resulting airfoils are thin, with the largest thickness to chord ratio being only 5.4%. The shapes obtained are further investigated for their aerodynamic performance. Maximization of time-averaged lift leads to an airfoil that produces more than six times more lift compared to the NACA 0012 airfoil. The excess lift is a consequence of the large peak and extended region of high suction on the upper surface and high pressure on the lower surface. Minimization of drag results in an airfoil with a sharp leading edge. The flow remains attached for close to 70% of the chord length. Minimization of the ratio of drag to lift results in an airfoil with a shallow dimple on the upper surface. It leads to a fairly large value of the time-averaged ratio of lift to drag (∼ 17.8). The high value is mostly achieved by a 447% increase in lift and 16% reduction in drag, compared to a NACA 0012 airfoil. Imposition of volume constraint, for the cases studied, is found to result in airfoils that have lower aerodynamic performance.

An adjoint method for shape optimization in unsteady viscous flows

A new method for shape optimization for unsteady viscous flows is presented. It is based on the continuous adjoint approach using a time accurate method and is capable of handling both inverse and direct objective functions. The objective function is minimized or maximized subject to the satisfaction of flow equations. The shape of the body is parametrized via a Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS) curve and is updated by using the gradients obtained from solving the flow and adjoint equations. A finite element method based on streamline-upwind Petrov/Galerkin (SUPG) and pressure stabilized Petrov/Galerkin (PSPG) stabilization techniques is used to solve both the flow and adjoint equations. The method has been implemented and tested for the design of airfoils, based on enhancing its time-averaged aerodynamic coefficients. Interesting shapes are obtained, especially when the objective is to produce high performance airfoils. The effect of the extent of the window of time integration of flow and adjoint equations on the design process is studied. It is found that when the window of time integration is insufficient, the gradients are most likely to be erroneous.

Study of a stabilized mixed finite element with emphasis on its numerical performance for strain localization problems

AbstractThe numerical performance of a stabilized mixed finite‐element formulation based on the pressure‐gradient‐projection method (PGP) using equal‐order (linear) interpolation is evaluated by solving solid mechanics problems, such as structural limit load determination and strain localization modelling. All of them present incompressibility kinematical constraints induced by the constitutive behaviour. This work is specially devised to obtain critical conclusions about the use of PGP model when the mechanical response is governed by strain‐softening macroscopic mechanisms. In this context, we report some detected limitations in the present formulation due to the existence of pathological mesh bias dependence once the strain localization process becomes dominant, and linear kinematics is used. An additional contribution is the numerical comparative analysis of two different strategies, for solving the complete linear equation system, addressed to a finite‐element parallel code. The numerical results are compared with the standard Galerkin formulation and with an alternative stabilized mixed finite‐element procedure (pressure stabilizing Petrov–Galerkin scheme). Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.