Multi-phase flows using discontinuous Galerkin methods

• Main Author: Gryngarten, Leandro Damian
• Published: Georgia Institute of Technology 2013
• Subjects: Computational fluid dynamics; Multi-fluid; Multi-phase; Discontinuous Galerking; Fluid dynamics; Numerical analysis; Navier-Stokes equations Numerical solutions; Simulation methods; Mathematical models
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1853/45824

This thesis is concerned with the development of numerical techniques to simulate compressible multi-phase flows, in particular a high-accuracy numerical approach with mesh adaptivity. The Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method was chosen as the framework for this work for being characterized for its high-order of accuracy -thus low numerical diffusion- and being compatible with mesh adaptivity due to its locality. A DG solver named DiGGIT (Discontinuous Galerkin at the Georgia Institute of Technology) has been developed and several aspects of the method have been studied. The Local Discontinuous Galerkin (LDG) method -an extension of DG for equations with high-order derivatives- was extended to solve multiphase flows using Diffused Interface Methods (DIM). This multi-phase model includes the convection of the volume fraction, which is treated as a Hamilton-Jacobi equation. This is the first study, to the author's knowledge, in which the volume fraction of a DIM is solved using the DG and the LDG methods. The formulation is independent of the Equation of State (EOS) and it can differ for each phase. This allows for a more accurate representation of the different fluids by using cubic EOSs, like the Peng-Robinson and the van der Waals models. Surface tension is modeled with a new numerical technique appropriate for LDG. Spurious oscillations due to surface tension are common to all the capturing schemes, and this new approach presents oscillations comparable in magnitude to the most common schemes. The moment limiter (ML) was generalized for non-uniform grids with hanging nodes that result from adaptive mesh refinement (AMR). The effect of characteristic, primitive, or conservative decomposition in the limiting stage was studied. The characteristic option cannot be used with the ML in multi-dimensions. In general, primitive variable decomposition is a better option than with conservative variables, particularly for multiphase flows, since the former type of decomposition reduces the numerical oscillations at material discontinuities. An additional limiting technique was introduced for DIM to preserve positivity while minimizing the numerical diffusion, which is especially important at the interface. The accuracy-preserving total variation diminishing (AP-TVD) marker for ``troubled-cell' detection, which uses an averaged-derivative basis, was modified to use the Legendre polynomial basis. Given that the latest basis is generally used for DG, the new approach avoids transforming to the averaged-derivative basis, what results in a more efficient technique. Furthermore, a new error estimator was proposed to determine where to refine or coarsen the grid. This estimator was compared against other estimator used in the literature and it showed an improved performance. In order to provide equal order of accuracy in time as in space, the commonly used 3rd-order TVD Runge-Kutta (RK) scheme in the DG method was replaced in some cases by the Spectral Deferred Correction (SDC) technique. High orders in time were shown to only be required when the error in time is significant. For instance, convection-dominated compressible flows require for stability a time step much smaller than is required for accuracy, so in such cases 3rd-order TVD RK resulted to be more efficient than SDC with higher orders. All these new capabilities were included in DiGGIT and have provided a generalized approach capable of solving sub- and super-critical flows at sub- and super-sonic speeds, using a high-order scheme in space and time, and with AMR. Canonical test cases are presented to verify and validate the formulation in one, two, and three dimensions. Finally, the solver is applied to practical applications. Shock-bubble interaction is studied and the effect of the different thermodynamic closures is assessed. Interaction between single-drops and a wall is simulated. Sticking and the onset of splashing are observed. In addition, the solver is used to simulate turbulent flows, where the high-order of accuracy clearly shows its benefits. Finally, the methodology is challenged with the simulation of a liquid jet in cross flow.