Space–time Variational Multiscale Method Research Articles

High-resolution 3D computation of time-periodic long-wake flows with the Carrier-Domain Method and Space–Time Variational Multiscale method with isogeometric discretization

High-resolution 3D computation of time-periodic long-wake flows with the Carrier-Domain Method and Space–Time Variational Multiscale method with isogeometric discretization

Boundary layer mesh resolution in flow computation with the Space–Time Variational Multiscale method and isogeometric discretization

We present an extensive study on boundary layer mesh resolution in flow computation with the Space–Time Variational Multiscale (ST-VMS) method and isogeometric discretization. The study is in the context of 2D flow past a circular cylinder, at Reynolds number ranging from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text]. It was motivated by the need to have in tire aerodynamics a better understanding of the mesh resolution requirements near the tire surface. The focus in the study is on the normal-direction element length for the first layer of elements near the cylinder, with that length varying by a refinement factor ranging from 2 to 40. The evaluation is based mostly on the velocity profile near the cylinder. As the element length for the first layer is varied, the element lengths for the other layers of the disk-shaped inner mesh are adjusted, with no increase in the number of elements for the refinement factors 2, 3, and 4, and with modest increases only in the radial direction for refinement factors beyond that. The computations are performed with quadratic NURBS basis functions in space and linear basis functions in time. The expressions for the stabilization parameters used in the ST-VMS and for the related local lengths scales are those targeting isogeometric discretization, introduced in recent years. The mesh resolution study is based mostly on the strong enforcement of the Dirichlet boundary conditions on the cylinder, but also includes some computations with the weakly-enforced conditions. We expect that the data generated and observations made will be helpful in setting proper near-surface mesh resolution in VMS-based computations with isogeometric discretization, not only for cylindrical shapes but also for comparable geometries. We furthermore expect that although the data generated and observations made are based on computations with nonmoving meshes, they will also be applicable to computations with moving meshes where the mesh around the solid surface rotates with the surface in the framework of the ST Slip Interface method.

Carrier-Domain Method for high-resolution computation of time-periodic long-wake flows

We are introducing the Carrier-Domain Method (CDM) for high-resolution computation of time-periodic long-wake flows, with cost-effectives that makes the computations practical. The CDM is closely related to the Multidomain Method, which was introduced 24 years ago, originally intended also for cost-effective computation of long-wake flows and later extended in scope to cover additional classes of flow problems. In the CDM, the computational domain moves in the free-stream direction, with a velocity that preserves the outflow nature of the downstream computational boundary. As the computational domain is moving, the velocity at the inflow plane is extracted from the velocity computed earlier when the plane’s current position was covered by the moving domain. The inflow data needed at an instant is extracted from one or more instants going back in time as many periods. Computing the long-wake flow with a high-resolution moving mesh that has a reasonable length would certainly be far more cost-effective than computing it with a fixed mesh that covers the entire length of the wake. We are also introducing a CDM version where the computational domain moves in a discrete fashion rather than a continuous fashion. To demonstrate how the CDM works, we compute, with the version where the computational domain moves in a continuous fashion, the 2D flow past a circular cylinder at Reynolds number 100. At this Reynolds number, the flow has an easily discernible vortex shedding frequency and widely published lift and drag coefficients and Strouhal number. The wake flow is computed up to 350 diameters downstream of the cylinder, far enough to see the secondary vortex street. The computations are performed with the Space–Time Variational Multiscale method and isogeometric discretization; the basis functions are quadratic NURBS in space and linear in time. The results show the power of the CDM in high-resolution computation of time-periodic long-wake flows.

Turbocharger turbine and exhaust manifold flow computation with the Space–Time Variational Multiscale Method and Isogeometric Analysis

We address the computational challenges encountered in turbocharger turbine and exhaust manifold flow analysis. The core computational method is the Space–Time Variational Multiscale (ST-VMS) method, and the other key methods are the ST Isogeometric Analysis (ST-IGA), ST Slip Interface (ST-SI) method, ST/NURBS Mesh Update Method (STNMUM), and a general-purpose NURBS mesh generation method for complex geometries. The ST framework, in a general context, provides higher-order accuracy. The VMS feature of the ST-VMS addresses the computational challenges associated with the multiscale nature of the unsteady flow in the manifold and turbine, and the moving-mesh feature of the ST framework enables high-resolution computation near the rotor surface. The ST-SI enables moving-mesh computation of the spinning rotor. The mesh covering the rotor spins with it, and the SI between the spinning mesh and the rest of the mesh accurately connects the two sides of the solution. The ST-IGA enables more accurate representation of the turbine and manifold geometries and increased accuracy in the flow solution. The STNMUM enables exact representation of the mesh rotation. The general-purpose NURBS mesh generation method makes it easier to deal with the complex geometries we have here. An SI also provides mesh generation flexibility in a general context by accurately connecting the two sides of the solution computed over nonmatching meshes. That is enabling us to use nonmatching NURBS meshes here. Stabilization parameters and element length definitions play a significant role in the ST-VMS and ST-SI. For the ST-VMS, we use the stabilization parameters introduced recently, and for the ST-SI, the element length definition we are introducing here. The model we actually compute with includes the exhaust gas purifier, which makes the turbine outflow conditions more realistic. We compute the flow for a full intake/exhaust cycle, which is much longer than the turbine rotation cycle because of high rotation speeds, and the long duration required is an additional computational challenge. The computation demonstrates that the methods we use here are very effective in this class of challenging flow analyses.

Heart valve flow computation with the integrated Space–Time VMS, Slip Interface, Topology Change and Isogeometric Discretization methods

Heart valve flow computation requires accurate representation of boundary layers near moving solid surfaces, including the valve leaflet surfaces, even when the leaflets come into contact. It also requires dealing with a high level of geometric complexity. We address these computational challenges with a Space–Time (ST) method developed by integrating three special ST methods in the framework of the ST Variational Multiscale (ST-VMS) method. The special methods are the ST Slip Interface (ST-SI) and ST Topology Change (ST-TC) methods and ST Isogeometric Analysis (ST-IGA). The computations are for a realistic aortic-valve model with prescribed valve leaflet motion and actual contact between the leaflets. The ST-VMS method functions as a moving-mesh method, which maintains high-resolution boundary layer representation near the solid surfaces, including leaflet surfaces. The ST-TC method was introduced for moving-mesh computation of flow problems with TC, such as contact between the leaflets of a heart valve. It deals with the contact while maintaining high-resolution representation near the leaflet surfaces. The ST-SI method was originally introduced to have high-resolution representation of the boundary layers near spinning solid surfaces. The mesh covering a spinning solid surface spins with it, and the SI between the spinning mesh and the rest of the mesh accurately connects the two sides. In the context of heart valves, the SI connects the sectors of meshes containing the leaflets, enabling a more effective mesh moving. In that context, integration of the ST-SI and ST-TC methods enables high-resolution representation even when the contact is between leaflets that are covered by meshes with SI. It also enables dealing with contact location change or contact and sliding on the SI. By integrating the ST-IGA with the ST-SI and ST-TC methods, in addition to having a more accurate representation of the surfaces and increased accuracy in the flow solution, the element density in the narrow spaces near the contact areas is kept at a reasonable level. Furthermore, because the flow representation in the contact area has a wider support in IGA, the flow computation method becomes more robust. The computations we present for an aortic-valve model with two different modes of prescribed leaflet motion show the effectiveness of the ST-SI-TC-IGA method.

Ram-air parachute structural and fluid mechanics computations with the Space–Time Isogeometric Analysis (ST-IGA)

Abstract We present a method for structural and fluid mechanics computations of ram-air parachutes. A ram-air parachute is a parafoil inflated by the airflow through the inlets at the leading edge. It has better control and gliding capability than round parachutes. Reliable analysis of ram-air parachutes requires accurate representation of the parafoil geometry, fabric porosity and the complex, multiscale flow behavior involved in this class of problems. The key components of the method are (i) the Space–Time Variational Multiscale (ST-VMS) method, (ii) the version of the ST Slip Interface (ST-SI) method where the SI is between a thin porous structure and the fluid on its two sides, (iii) the ST Isogeometric Analysis (ST-IGA), and (iv) special-purpose NURBS mesh generation techniques for the parachute structure and the flow field inside and outside the parafoil. The ST-VMS method is a stabilized formulation that also serves as a turbulence model and can deal effectively with the complex, multiscale flow behavior. With the ST-SI version for porosity modeling, we deal with the fabric porosity in a fashion consistent with how we deal with the standard SIs and how we enforce the Dirichlet boundary conditions weakly. The ST-IGA, with NURBS basis functions in space, gives us, with relatively few number of unknowns, accurate representation of the parafoil geometry and increased accuracy in the flow solution. The special-purpose mesh generation techniques enable NURBS representation of the structure and fluid domains with significant geometric complexity. The test computations we present are for building a starting parachute shape and a starting flow field associated with that parachute shape, which are the first two key steps in fluid–structure interaction analysis. The computations demonstrate the effectiveness of the method in this class of problems.

Computational analysis of flow-driven string dynamics in turbomachinery

Abstract We focus on computational analysis of flow-driven string dynamics. The objective is to understand how the strings carried by a fluid interact with the solid surfaces present and get stuck on or around those surfaces. Our target application is turbomachinery, such as understanding how strings get stuck on or around the blades of a fan. The components of the method we developed for this purpose are the Space–Time Variational Multiscale (ST-VMS) and ST Slip Interface (ST-SI) methods for the fluid dynamics, and a one-way-dependence model and the Isogeometric Analysis (IGA) for the string dynamics. The ST-VMS method is the core computational technology and it also has the features of a turbulence model. The ST-SI method allows in a consistent fashion slip at the interface between the mesh covering a spinning solid surface and the mesh covering the rest of the domain, and with this, we maintain high-resolution representation of the boundary layers near spinning solid surfaces such as fan blades. With the one-way-dependence model, we compute the influence of the flow on the string dynamics, while avoiding the formidable task of computing the influence of the string on the flow, which we expect to be small. The IGA for the string dynamics gives us not only a higher-order method and smoothness in the structure shape, but also smoothness in the fluid dynamics forces calculated on the string. To demonstrate how the method can be used in computational analysis of flow-driven string dynamics, we present the pilot computations we carried out, for a duct with cylindrical obstacles and for a ventilating fan.

Space–time VMS computation of wind-turbine rotor and tower aerodynamics

We present the space---time variational multiscale (ST-VMS) computation of wind-turbine rotor and tower aerodynamics. The rotor geometry is that of the NREL 5MW offshore baseline wind turbine. We compute with a given wind speed and a specified rotor speed. The computation is challenging because of the large Reynolds numbers and rotating turbulent flows, and computing the correct torque requires an accurate and meticulous numerical approach. The presence of the tower increases the computational challenge because of the fast, rotational relative motion between the rotor and tower. The ST-VMS method is the residual-based VMS version of the Deforming-Spatial-Domain/Stabilized ST (DSD/SST) method, and is also called "DSD/SST-VMST" method (i.e., the version with the VMS turbulence model). In calculating the stabilization parameters embedded in the method, we are using a new element length definition for the diffusion-dominated limit. The DSD/SST method, which was introduced as a general-purpose moving-mesh method for computation of flows with moving interfaces, requires a mesh update method. Mesh update typically consists of moving the mesh for as long as possible and remeshing as needed. In the computations reported here, NURBS basis functions are used for the temporal representation of the rotor motion, enabling us to represent the circular paths associated with that motion exactly and specify a constant angular velocity corresponding to the invariant speeds along those paths. In addition, temporal NURBS basis functions are used in representation of the motion and deformation of the volume meshes computed and also in remeshing. We name this "ST/NURBS Mesh Update Method (STNMUM)." The STNMUM increases computational efficiency in terms of computer time and storage, and computational flexibility in terms of being able to change the time-step size of the computation. We use layers of thin elements near the blade surfaces, which undergo rigid-body motion with the rotor. We compare the results from computations with and without tower, and we also compare using NURBS and linear finite element basis functions in temporal representation of the mesh motion.

SPACE–TIME VMS METHODS FOR MODELING OF INCOMPRESSIBLE FLOWS AT HIGH REYNOLDS NUMBERS

Deforming-Spatial-Domain/Stabilized Space–Time (DSD/SST) formulation was developed for flow problems with moving interfaces and has been successfully applied to some of the most complex problems in that category. A new version of the DSD/SST method for incompressible flows, which has additional subgrid-scale representation features, is the space–time version of the residual-based variational multiscale (VMS) method. This new version, called DSD/SST-VMST and also Space–Time VMS (ST-VMS), provides a more comprehensive framework for the VMS method. We describe the ST-VMS method, including the embedded stabilization parameters, and assess its performance in computation of flow problems at high Reynolds numbers by comparing the results to experimental data. The computations, which include those with 3D airfoil geometries and spacecraft configurations, signal a promising future for the ST-VMS method.