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Flow Simulations (flow + simulation)
Selected AbstractsMultiple Well-Shutdown Tests and Site-Scale Flow Simulation in Fractured RocksGROUND WATER, Issue 3 2010Claire R. Tiedeman A new method was developed for conducting aquifer tests in fractured-rock flow systems that have a pump-and-treat (P&T) operation for containing and removing groundwater contaminants. The method involves temporary shutdown of individual pumps in wells of the P&T system. Conducting aquifer tests in this manner has several advantages, including (1) no additional contaminated water is withdrawn, and (2) hydraulic containment of contaminants remains largely intact because pumping continues at most wells. The well-shutdown test method was applied at the former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), West Trenton, New Jersey, where a P&T operation is designed to contain and remove trichloroethene and its daughter products in the dipping fractured sedimentary rocks underlying the site. The detailed site-scale subsurface geologic stratigraphy, a three-dimensional MODFLOW model, and inverse methods in UCODE_2005 were used to analyze the shutdown tests. In the model, a deterministic method was used for representing the highly heterogeneous hydraulic conductivity distribution and simulations were conducted using an equivalent porous media method. This approach was very successful for simulating the shutdown tests, contrary to a common perception that flow in fractured rocks must be simulated using a stochastic or discrete fracture representation of heterogeneity. Use of inverse methods to simultaneously calibrate the model to the multiple shutdown tests was integral to the effectiveness of the approach. [source] Higher-order finite element discretizations in a benchmark problem for incompressible flowsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 8 2001Volker John Abstract We present a numerical study of several finite element discretizations applied to a benchmark problem for the two-dimensional steady state incompressible Navier,Stokes equations defined in Schäfer and Turek (The benchmark problem ,Flow around a cylinder'. In Flow Simulation with High-Performance Computers II. Notes on Numerical Fluid Mechanics, vol. 52, Hirschel EH (ed.). Vieweg: Wiesbaden, 1996; 547,566). The discretizations are compared with respect to the accuracy of the computed benchmark parameters. Higher-order isoparametric finite element discretizations turned out to be by far the most accurate. The discrete systems obtained with higher-order discretizations are solved with a modified coupled multigrid method whose behaviour within the benchmark problem is also studied numerically. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Meltwater discharge through the subglacial bed and its land-forming consequences from numerical experiments in the Polish lowland during the last glaciationEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 4 2009Jan A. Piotrowski Abstract Numerical experiments suggest that the last glaciation severely affected the upper lithosphere groundwater system in NW Poland: primarily its flow pattern, velocities and fluxes. We have simulated subglacial groundwater flow in two and three spatial dimensions using finite difference codes for steady-state and transient conditions. The results show how profoundly the ice sheet modifies groundwater pressure heads beneath and some distance beyond the ice margin. All model runs show water discharge at the ice forefield driven by ice-sheet-thickness-modulated, down-ice-decreasing hydraulic heads. In relation to non-glacial times, the transient 3D model shows significant changes in the groundwater flow directions in a regionally extensive aquifer ca. 90 m below the ice,bed interface and up to 40 km in front of the glacier. Comparison with empirical data suggests that, depending on the model run, only between 5 and 24% of the meltwater formed at the ice sole drained through the bed as groundwater. This is consistent with field observations documenting abundant occurrence of tunnel valleys, indicating that the remaining portion of basal meltwater was evacuated through a channelized subglacial drainage system. Groundwater flow simulation suggests that in areas of very low hydraulic conductivity and adverse subglacial slopes water ponding at the ice sole was likely. In these areas the relief shows distinct palaeo-ice lobes, indicating fast ice flow, possibly triggered by the undrained water at the ice,bed interface. Owing to the abundance of low-permeability strata in the bed, the simulated groundwater flow depth is less than ca. 200 m. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Enhancing the P trapping of pasture filter strips: successes and pitfalls in the use of water supply residue and polyacrylamideEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2008M. R. Redding Summary In intensive pastoral systems the landscape at ground level is clad in dense, filtering vegetation , yet phosphorus losses in overland flow do occur, and pollution of surface waters is a serious consequence. The use of pre-applied polyacrylamide (PAM) or chitosan to trap particulate phosphorus (PP) and P-sorbing potable water treatment alum residue (PWTR) to enhance vegetative filtering effects is examined here using field and laboratory overland flow simulation (flows from 0.43 to 0.34 litres s,1 (m width),1) and analysis. Fitted equations suggest that up to 40% of dissolved reactive P applied (0.75 mg P litre,1) in overland flow could be captured in a flow length of 2.1 m (1 kg PWTR m,2). Unfortunately, drying decreased PWTR effectiveness, though little of the P captured was readily desorbed. This effect did not appear to be the result of gibbsite formation. Compared with the other treatments, there was a strong treatment effect of pre-applied PAM on the change in PP losses (P < 0.001) over time, though evidence suggests the PAM effect declined during a 44 minute flow period. We showed that the investigated two-pronged approach to the enhancement of the effectiveness of P trapping by pasture had limitations. Laboratory sheet-flow simulations suggest that a field-stable P sorber with sorption characteristics similar to those of the un-dried PWTR could be an effective retention enhancer for dissolved P. Pre-applied PAM can have an effect on particulate-P trapping but was rapidly dissolved and removed by flow. [source] Multi-material incompressible flow simulation using the moment-of-fluid method,INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 8 2010Samuel P. Schofield Abstract This paper compares the numerical performance of the moment-of-fluid (MOF) interface reconstruction technique with Youngs, LVIRA, power diagram (PD), and Swartz interface reconstruction techniques in the context of a volume-of-fluid (VOF) based finite element projection method for the numerical simulation of variable-density incompressible viscous flows. In pure advection tests with multiple materials MOF shows dramatic improvements in accuracy compared with the other methods. In incompressible flows where density differences determine the flow evolution, all the methods perform similarly for two material flows on structured grids. On unstructured grids, the second-order MOF, LVIRA, and Swartz methods perform similarly and show improvement over the first-order Youngs' and PD methods. For flow simulations with more than two materials, MOF shows increased accuracy in interface positions on coarse meshes. In most cases, the convergence and accuracy of the computed flow solution was not strongly affected by interface reconstruction method. Published in 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Shallow flow simulation on dynamically adaptive cut cell quadtree gridsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 12 2007Qiuhua Liang Abstract A computationally efficient, high-resolution numerical model of shallow flow hydrodynamics is described, based on dynamically adaptive quadtree grids. The numerical model solves the two-dimensional non-linear shallow water equations by means of an explicit second-order MUSCL-Hancock Godunov-type finite volume scheme. Interface fluxes are evaluated using an HLLC approximate Riemann solver. Cartesian cut cells are used to improve the fit to curved boundaries. A ghost-cell immersed boundary method is used to update flow information in the smallest cut cells and overcome the time step restriction that would otherwise apply. The numerical model is validated through simulations of reflection of a surge wave at a wall, a low Froude number potential flow past a circular cylinder, and the shock-like interaction between a bore and a circular cylinder. The computational efficiency is shown to be greatly improved compared with solutions on a uniform structured grid implemented with cut cells. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Evaluation of Smagorinsky-based subgrid-scale models in a finite-volume computationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 6 2002Petri Majander Abstract Smagorinsky-based models are assessed in a turbulent channel flow simulation at Reb=2800 and Reb=12500. The Navier,Stokes equations are solved with three different grid resolutions by using a co-located finite-volume method. Computations are repeated with Smagorinsky-based subgrid-scale models. A traditional Smagorinsky model is implemented with a van Driest damping function. A dynamic model assumes a similarity of the subgrid and the subtest Reynolds stresses and an explicit filtering operation is required. A top-hat test filter is implemented with a trapezoidal and a Simpson rule. At the low Reynolds number computation none of the tested models improves the results at any grid level compared to the calculations with no model. The effect of the subgrid-scale model is reduced as the grid is refined. The numerical implementation of the test filter influences on the result. At the higher Reynolds number the subgrid-scale models stabilize the computation. An analysis of an accurately resolved flow field reveals that the discretization error overwhelms the subgrid term at Reb=2800 in the most part of the computational domain. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Higher order finite element methods and multigrid solvers in a benchmark problem for the 3D Navier,Stokes equationsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 6 2002Volker John Abstract This paper presents a numerical study of the 3D flow around a cylinder which was defined as a benchmark problem for the steady state Navier,Stokes equations within the DFG high-priority research program flow simulation with high-performance computers by Schafer and Turek (Vol. 52, Vieweg: Braunschweig, 1996). The first part of the study is a comparison of several finite element discretizations with respect to the accuracy of the computed benchmark parameters. It turns out that boundary fitted higher order finite element methods are in general most accurate. Our numerical study improves the hitherto existing reference values for the benchmark parameters considerably. The second part of the study deals with efficient and robust solvers for the discrete saddle point problems. All considered solvers are based on coupled multigrid methods. The flexible GMRES method with a multiple discretization multigrid method proves to be the best solver. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A novel finite point method for flow simulationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 12 2002M. Cheng Abstract A novel finite point method is developed to simulate flow problems. The mashes in the traditional numerical methods are supplanted by the distribution of points in the calculation domain. A local interpolation based on the properties of Taylor series expansion is used to construct an approximation for unknown functions and their derivatives. An upwind-dominated scheme is proposed to efficiently handle the non-linear convection. Comparison with the finite difference solutions for the two-dimensional driven cavity flow and the experimental results for flow around a cylinder shows that the present method is capable of satisfactorily predicting the flow separation characteristic. The present algorithm is simple and flexible for complex geometric boundary. The influence of the point distribution on computation time and accuracy of results is included. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] High-order filtering for control volume flow simulationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 7 2001G. De Stefano Abstract A general methodology is presented in order to obtain a hierarchy of high-order filter functions, starting from the standard top-hat filter, naturally linked to control volumes flow simulations. The goal is to have a new filtered variable better represented in its high resolved wavenumber components by using a suitable deconvolution. The proposed formulation is applied to the integral momentum equation, that is the evolution equation for the top-hat filtered variable, by performing a spatial reconstruction based on the approximate inversion of the averaging operator. A theoretical analysis for the Burgers' model equation is presented, demonstrating that the local de-averaging is an effective tool to obtain a higher-order accuracy. It is also shown that the subgrid-scale term, to be modeled in the deconvolved balance equation, has a smaller absolute importance in the resolved wavenumber range for increasing deconvolution order. A numerical analysis of the procedure is presented, based on high-order upwind and central fluxes reconstruction, leading to congruent control volume schemes. Finally, the features of the present high-order conservative formulation are tested in the numerical simulation of a sample turbulent flow: the flow behind a backward-facing step. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A finite volume,multigrid method for flow simulation on stratified porous media on curvilinear co-ordinate systemsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 4 2001Pablo Calvo Abstract This paper presents a numerical study of infiltration processes on stratified porous media. The study is carried out to examine the performance of a finite volume method on problems with discontinuous solutions due to the transmission conditions in the interfaces. To discretize the problem, a curvilinear co-ordinate system is used. This permits matching the interface with the boundary of the control volumes that interchange fluxes between layers. The use of the multigrid algorithm for the resulting systems of equations allows problems involving a large number of nodes with low computational cost to be solved. Finally, some numerical experiments, which show the capillary barrier behaviour depending on the material used for the different layers and the geometric design of the interface, are presented. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Heterogeneous traffic flow modelling for an arterial using grid based approachJOURNAL OF ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION, Issue 4 2008P. J. Gundaliya Abstract A grid based modelling approach akin to cellular automata (CA) is adopted for heterogeneous traffic flow simulation. The road space is divided into a grid of equally sized cells. Moreover, each vehicle type occupies one or more cell as per its size unlike CA traffic flow model where each vehicle is represented by a single cell. Model needs inputs such as vehicle size, its maximum speed, acceleration, deceleration, probability constants, and arrival pattern. The position and speed of the vehicles are assumed to be discrete. The speed of each vehicle changes according to its interactions with other vehicles, following some stochastic rules depending on the circumstances. The model is calibrated and validated using real data and VISSIM. The results indicate that grid based model can reasonably well simulate complex heterogeneous traffic as well as offers higher computational efficiency needed for real time application. [source] Estimation of elongational viscosity of polymers from entrance loss data using individual parameter optimizationADVANCES IN POLYMER TECHNOLOGY, Issue 2 2002Mahesh Gupta The elongational viscosity model proposed by Sarkar and Gupta (Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites 2001, 20, 1473), along with the Carreau model for shear viscosity is used for a finite element simulation of the flow in a capillary rheometer. The entrance pressure loss predicted by the finite element flow simulation is matched with the corresponding experimental data to predict the parameters in the elongational viscosity model. To improve the computational efficiency, various elongational viscosity parameters are optimized individually. Estimated elongational viscosity for a Low Density Polyethylene (Dow 132i) is reported for two different temperatures. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 21: 98,107, 2002; Published online in Wiley Interscience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.10017 [source] PDF simulations of ethylene decomposition in tubular LDPE reactorsAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2005Nitin H. Kolhapure Abstract The present study deals with turbulent reacting flow simulation inside low-density polyethylene (LDPE) tubular reactors, based on a detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique,transported probability density function (PDF) methods. The ability of the PDF methods to provide an exact representation of chemical source terms is ideally suited for coupling complex LDPE chemistry with small-scale fluid dynamic fluctuations in turbulent flow. LDPE chemistry with a total of 16 scalars provides an ideal test case for illustrating the applicability of an efficient chemistry algorithm based on in-situ adaptive tabulation. A particle-based Monte Carlo algorithm is used to solve the joint-composition PDF equation, whereas a finite-volume code is used to obtain hydrodynamic fields from the standard k,, turbulence model. The influence of feed temperature, initiator concentration, and degree of premixing is investigated to gain detailed knowledge of micromixing effects on steady-state reactor performance. The computational approach provides a low-cost alternative to experimental and pilot-plant tests for exploring a variety of design options when making important design and operational decisions, or for investigating unstable reactor operating conditions. The ability of a simplified, but otherwise equivalent multi-environment-presumed PDF model to predict turbulence,chemistry interactions close to physical reality is validated using the detailed transported PDF simulations. The transported PDF method is shown to be an excellent tool for obtaining fundamental information on turbulent reacting flows, as well as for deriving simplified models for faster and easier interpretation of these flows when developing safe and efficient chemical processes. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 51: 585,606, 2005 [source] Recent advances in computational fluid dynamics relevant to the modelling of pesticide flow on leaf surfacesPEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 1 2010C Richard Glass Abstract Increasing societal and governmental concern about the worldwide use of chemical pesticides is now providing strong drivers towards maximising the efficiency of pesticide utilisation and the development of alternative control techniques. There is growing recognition that the ultimate goal of achieving efficient and sustainable pesticide usage will require greater understanding of the fluid mechanical mechanisms governing the delivery to, and spreading of, pesticide droplets on target surfaces such as leaves. This has led to increasing use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) as an important component of efficient process design with regard to pesticide delivery to the leaf surface. This perspective highlights recent advances in CFD methods for droplet spreading and film flows, which have the potential to provide accurate, predictive models for pesticide flow on leaf surfaces, and which can take account of each of the key influences of surface topography and chemistry, initial spray deposition conditions, evaporation and multiple droplet spreading interactions. The mathematical framework of these CFD methods is described briefly, and a series of new flow simulation results relevant to pesticide flows over foliage is provided. The potential benefits of employing CFD for practical process design are also discussed briefly. © Crown copyright 2009. Reproduced with permission of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Fast liquid composite molding simulation of unsaturated flow in dual-scale fiber mats using the imbibition characteristics of a fabric-based unit cellPOLYMER COMPOSITES, Issue 10 2010Hua Tan The use of the dual-scale fiber mats in liquid composite molding (LCM) process for making composites parts gives rise to the unsaturated flow during the mold-filling process. The usual approaches for modeling such flows involve using a sink term in the mass balance equation along with the Darcy's law. Sink functions involving complex microflows inside tows with realistic tow geometries have not been attempted in the past because of the problem of high computational costs arising from the coupling of the macroscopic gap flows with the microscopic tow flows. In this study, a new "lumped" sink function is proposed for the isothermal flow simulation, which is a function of the gap pressure, capillary pressure, and tow saturation, and which is estimated without solving for the microscopic tow simulations at each node of the FE mesh in the finite element/control volume algorithm. The sink function is calibrated with the help of the tow microflow simulation in a stand-alone unit cell of the dual-scale fiber mat. This new approach, which does not use any fitting parameters, achieved a good validation against a previous published result on the 1D unsaturated flow in a biaxial stitched mat,satisfactory comparisons of the inlet-pressure history as well as the saturation distributions were achieved. Finally, the unsaturated flow is studied in a car hood-type LCM mold geometry using the code PORE-FLOW© based on the proposed algorithm. POLYM. COMPOS., 31:1790,1807, 2010. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers. [source] Flow modeling and simulation for vacuum assisted resin transfer molding process with the equivalent permeability methodPOLYMER COMPOSITES, Issue 2 2004Renliang Chen Vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) offers numerous advantages over traditional resin transfer molding, such as lower tooling costs, shorter mold filling time and better scalability for large structures. In the VARTM process, complete filling of the mold with adequate wet-out of the fibrous preform has a critical impact on the process efficiency and product quality. Simulation is a powerful tool for understanding the resin flow in the VARTM process. However, conventional three-dimensional Control Volume/Finite Element Method (CV/FEM) based simulation models often require extensive computations, and their application to process modeling of large part fabrication is limited. This paper introduces a new approach to model the flow in the VARTM process based on the concept of equivalent permeability to significantly reduce computation time for VARTM flow simulation of large parts. The equivalent permeability model of high permeable medium (HPM) proposed in the study can significantly increase convergence efficiency of simulation by properly adjusting the aspect ratio of HPM elements. The equivalent permeability model of flow channel can simplify the computational model of the CV/FEM simulation for VARTM processes. This new modeling technique was validated by the results from conventional 3D computational methods and experiments. The model was further validated with a case study of an automobile hood component fabrication. The flow simulation results of the equivalent permeability models were in agreement with those from experiments. The results indicate that the computational time required by this new approach was greatly reduced compared to that by the conventional 3D CV/FEM simulation model, while maintaining the accuracy, of filling time and flow pattern. This approach makes the flow simulation of large VARTM parts with 3D CV/FEM method computationally feasible and may help broaden the application base of the process simulation. Polym. Compos. 25:146,164, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers. [source] Analysis of Flow Patterns in a Ventricular Assist Device: A Comparative Study of Particle Image Velocimetry and Computational Fluid DynamicsARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 4 2009Katsutoshi Sato Abstract:, In order to develop a diaphragm-type ventricular assist device (VAD), we studied the flow field change following structural modifications. We devised a center flow-type pump by putting a small projection on the center of the housing and/or diaphragm to provide a center in the flow field, and examined the following four types of VADs: N type without a projection, D type with a projection on the diaphragm, H type with a projection on the housing, and DH type with projections on both the diaphragm and housing. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used for flow simulation. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) was also used to verify the reliability of the CFD method and to determine how the flow field changes in the presence of a projection. The results of the PIV and CFD analyses were comparable. The placement of a projection on the housing was most effective in rectifying the flow field. [source] Close-to-streamline numerical study on gas velocity distribution in industrial scale electrostatic precipitator gas inlet hoodASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2010Jie Zhang Abstract The uniformity of gas velocity distribution in gas inlet hoods is important to guarantee high dedust efficiency in electrostatic precipitators (ESPs), especially for high solid concentration applications. The close-to-streamline numerical method was developed to geometrically 1:1 simulate an industrial scale ESP gas inlet hood, which had complicated internal structures, such as dedust angle irons and gas distribution perforated plates with up to 10 000 holes. The realizable k-, model was used for the gas flow simulation. The numerical results of the gas velocity distribution show reasonable agreement with the field measurements. The outlet gas velocity distribution was non-uniform, which was lower in the central region and higher in the near-wall regions. The gas flow characteristics were analysed to reveal the main influence factors on gas velocity distribution and put forward corresponding modification methods. After the retrofit, the field measurements of the outlet gas velocities showed that the gas velocity distribution improved. The non-uniform index of outlet gas velocity distribution decreased greatly from 0.355 to 0.244. The visible dust emissions from the chimney disappeared which indicated increased dedust efficiency. Therefore, the close-to-streamline method can simulate gas velocity distribution in complicated structures of ESP gas inlet hoods. Copyright © 2010 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A Grid-enabled problem-solving environment for advanced reservoir uncertainty analysisCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 18 2008Zhou Lei Abstract Uncertainty analysis is critical for conducting reservoir performance prediction. However, it is challenging because it relies on (1) massive modeling-related, geographically distributed, terabyte, or even petabyte scale data sets (geoscience and engineering data), (2) needs to rapidly perform hundreds or thousands of flow simulations, being identical runs with different models calculating the impacts of various uncertainty factors, (3) an integrated, secure, and easy-to-use problem-solving toolkit to assist uncertainty analysis. We leverage Grid computing technologies to address these challenges. We design and implement an integrated problem-solving environment ResGrid to effectively improve reservoir uncertainty analysis. The ResGrid consists of data management, execution management, and a Grid portal. Data Grid tools, such as metadata, replica, and transfer services, are used to meet massive size and geographically distributed characteristics of data sets. Workflow, task farming, and resource allocation are used to support large-scale computation. A Grid portal integrates the data management and the computation solution into a unified easy-to-use interface, enabling reservoir engineers to specify uncertainty factors of interest and perform large-scale reservoir studies through a web browser. The ResGrid has been used in petroleum engineering. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Enabling interactive and collaborative oil reservoir simulations on the GridCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 11 2005Manish Parashar Abstract Grid-enabled infrastructures and problem-solving environments can significantly increase the scale, cost-effectiveness and utility of scientific simulations, enabling highly accurate simulations that provide in-depth insight into complex phenomena. This paper presents a prototype of such an environment, i.e. an interactive and collaborative problem-solving environment for the formulation, development, deployment and management of oil reservoir and environmental flow simulations in computational Grid environments. The project builds on three independent research efforts: (1) the IPARS oil reservoir and environmental flow simulation framework; (2) the NetSolve Grid engine; and (3) the Discover Grid-based computational collaboratory. Its primary objective is to demonstrate the advantages of an integrated simulation infrastructure towards effectively supporting scientific investigation on the Grid, and to investigate the components and capabilities of such an infrastructure. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Unstructured grid generation using LiDAR data for urban flood inundation modellingHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 11 2010Ryota Tsubaki Abstract Inundation disasters, caused by sudden water level rise or rapid flow, occur frequently in various parts of the world. Such catastrophes strike not only in thinly populated flood plains or farmland but also in highly populated villages or urban areas. Inundation of the populated areas causes severe damage to the economy, injury, and loss of life; therefore, a proper management scheme for the disaster has to be developed. To predict and manage such adversity, an understanding of the dynamic processes of inundation flow is necessary because risk estimation is performed based on inundation flow information. In this study, we developed a comprehensive method to conduct detailed inundation flow simulations for a populated area with quite complex topographical features using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data. Detailed geospatial information including the location and shape of each building was extracted from the LiDAR data and used for the grid generation. The developed approach can distinguish buildings from vegetation and treat them differently in the flow model. With this method, a fine unstructured grid can be generated representing the complicated urban land features precisely without exhausting labour for data preparation. The accuracy of the generated grid with different grid spacing and grid type is discussed and the optimal range of grid spacing for direct representation of urban topography is investigated. The developed method is applied to the estimation of inundation flows, which occurred in the basin of the Shin-minato River. A detailed inundation flow structure is represented by the flow model, and the flow characteristics with respect to topographic features are discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Fire effects on rangeland hydrology and erosion in a steep sagebrush-dominated landscape,HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 16 2008Frederick B. Pierson Abstract Post-fire runoff and erosion from wildlands has been well researched, but few studies have researched the degree of control exerted by fire on rangeland hydrology and erosion processes. Furthermore, the spatial continuity and temporal persistence of wildfire impacts on rangeland hydrology and erosion are not well understood. Small-plot rainfall and concentrated flow simulations were applied to unburned and severely burned hillslopes to determine the spatial continuity and persistence of fire-induced impacts on runoff and erosion by interrill and rill processes on steep sagebrush-dominated sites. Runoff and erosion were measured immediately following and each of 3 years post-wildfire. Spatial and temporal variability in post-fire hydrologic and erosional responses were compared with runoff and erosion measured under unburned conditions. Results from interrill simulations indicate fire-induced impacts were predominantly on coppice microsites and that fire influenced interrill sediment yield more than runoff. Interrill runoff was nearly unchanged by burning, but 3-year cumulative interrill sediment yield on burned hillslopes (50 g m,2) was twice that of unburned hillslopes (25 g m,2). The greatest impact of fire was on the dynamics of runoff once overland flow began. Reduced ground cover on burned hillslopes allowed overland flow to concentrate into rills. The 3-year cumulative runoff from concentrated flow simulations on burned hillslopes (298 l) was nearly 20 times that measured on unburned hillslopes (16 l). The 3-year cumulative sediment yield from concentrated flow on burned and unburned hillslopes was 20 400 g m,2 and 6 g m,2 respectively. Fire effects on runoff generation and sediment were greatly reduced, but remained, 3 years post-fire. The results indicate that the impacts of fire on runoff and erosion from severely burned steep sagebrush landscapes vary significantly by microsite and process, exhibiting seasonal fluctuation in degree, and that fire-induced increases in runoff and erosion may require more than 3 years to return to background levels. Published in 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Rainfall,runoff modelling of ephemeral streams in the Valencia region (eastern Spain)HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 17 2002Ana M. Camarasa Abstract This paper presents preliminary results from the application of a transfer-function rainfall,runoff model to ephemeral streams in Mediterranean Spain. Flow simulations have been conducted for two small catchments (Carraixet and Poyo basins), located in close proximity to one another yet with significantly different geological characteristics. Analysis of flow simulations for a number of high-flow events has revealed the dominant influence of the rainfall on the catchment response, particularly for high-rainfall events. Particular success has been attained modelling the highest magnitude events in both catchments and for all events in the faster responding (Poyo) catchment. In order to investigate the viability of the model for forecasting floods in ungauged catchments, additional investigations have been conducted by calibrating the model for one catchment (donor catchment) and then applying it to another (receptor catchment). The results indicate that this can be successful when either the donor catchment is a fast response catchment or when the model is calibrated using a high-magnitude event in the donor catchment, providing that the modelled receptor catchment event is of a lower magnitude. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A new fast hybrid adaptive grid generation technique for arbitrary two-dimensional domainsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2010Mohamed S. Ebeida Abstract This paper describes a new fast hybrid adaptive grid generation technique for arbitrary two-dimensional domains. This technique is based on a Cartesian background grid with square elements and quadtree decomposition. A new algorithm is introduced for the distribution of boundary points based on the curvature of the domain boundaries. The quadtree decomposition is governed either by the distribution of the boundary points or by a size function when a solution-based adaptive grid is desired. The resulting grid is quaddominant and ready for the application of finite element, multi-grid, or line-relaxation methods. All the internal angles in the final grid have a lower bound of 45° and an upper bound of 135°. Although our main interest is in grid generation for unsteady flow simulations, the technique presented in this paper can be employed in many other fields. Several application examples are provided to illustrate the main features of this new approach. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Particulate flow simulations using lubrication theory solution enrichmentINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 9 2003G. J. Wagner Abstract A technique for the numerical simulation of suspensions of particles in fluid based on the extended finite element method (X-FEM) is developed. In this method, the particle surfaces need not conform to the finite element boundaries, so that moving particles can be simulated without remeshing. The finite element basis is enriched with the Stokes flow solution for flow past a single particle and the lubrication theory solution for flow between particles. The latter enrichment allows the simulation of particles that come arbitrarily close together without refining the mesh in the gap between them. Example problems illustrating both types of enrichment are shown, along with a study of a 50% solution in channel flow. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Accuracy of Galerkin finite elements for groundwater flow simulations in two and three-dimensional triangulationsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2001Christian Cordes Abstract In standard finite element simulations of groundwater flow the correspondence between hydraulic head gradients and groundwater fluxes is represented by the stiffness matrix. In two-dimensional problems the use of linear triangular elements on Delaunay triangulations guarantees a stiffness matrix of type M. This implies that the local numerical fluxes are physically consistent with Darcy's law. This condition is fundamental to avoid the occurrence of local maxima or minima, and is of crucial importance when the calculated flow field is used in contaminant transport simulations or pathline evaluation. In three spatial dimensions, the linear Galerkin approach on tetrahedra does not lead to M -matrices even on Delaunay meshes. By interpretation of the Galerkin approach as a subdomain collocation scheme, we develop a new approach (OSC, orthogonal subdomain collocation) that is shown to produce M -matrices in three-dimensional Delaunay triangulations. In case of heterogeneous and anisotropic coefficients, extra mesh properties required for M -stiffness matrices will also be discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Multi-material incompressible flow simulation using the moment-of-fluid method,INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 8 2010Samuel P. Schofield Abstract This paper compares the numerical performance of the moment-of-fluid (MOF) interface reconstruction technique with Youngs, LVIRA, power diagram (PD), and Swartz interface reconstruction techniques in the context of a volume-of-fluid (VOF) based finite element projection method for the numerical simulation of variable-density incompressible viscous flows. In pure advection tests with multiple materials MOF shows dramatic improvements in accuracy compared with the other methods. In incompressible flows where density differences determine the flow evolution, all the methods perform similarly for two material flows on structured grids. On unstructured grids, the second-order MOF, LVIRA, and Swartz methods perform similarly and show improvement over the first-order Youngs' and PD methods. For flow simulations with more than two materials, MOF shows increased accuracy in interface positions on coarse meshes. In most cases, the convergence and accuracy of the computed flow solution was not strongly affected by interface reconstruction method. Published in 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A two-step Taylor-characteristic-based Galerkin method for incompressible flows and its application to flow over triangular cylinder with different incidence anglesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 11 2010Yan Bao Abstract An alternative characteristic-based scheme, the two-step Taylor-characteristic-based Galerkin method is developed based on the introduction of multi-step temporal Taylor series expansion up to second order along the characteristic of the momentum equation. Contrary to the classical characteristic-based split (CBS) method, the current characteristic-based method does not require splitting the momentum equation, and segregate the calculation of the pressure from that of the velocity by using the momentum,pressure Poisson equation method. Some benchmark problems are used to examine the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and to compare with the original CBS method, and the results show that the proposed method has preferable accuracy with less numerical dissipation. We further applied the method to the numerical simulation of flow around equilateral triangular cylinder with different incidence angles in free stream. In this numerical investigation, the flow simulations are carried out in the low Reynolds number range. Instantaneous streamlines around the cylinder are used as a means to visualize the wake region behind, and they clearly show the flow pattern around the cylinder in time. The influence of incidence angle on flow characteristic parameters such as Strouhal number, Drag and Lift coefficients are discussed quantitatively. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] On pressure separation algorithms (PSepA) for improving the accuracy of incompressible flow simulationsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 4 2009S. Turek Abstract We investigate a special technique called ,pressure separation algorithm' (PSepA) (see Applied Mathematics and Computation 2005; 165:275,290 for an introduction) that is able to significantly improve the accuracy of incompressible flow simulations for problems with large pressure gradients. In our numerical studies with the computational fluid dynamics package FEATFLOW (www.featflow.de), we mainly focus on low-order Stokes elements with nonconforming finite element approximations for the velocity and piecewise constant pressure functions. However, preliminary numerical tests show that this advantageous behavior can also be obtained for higher-order discretizations, for instance, with Q2/P1 finite elements. We analyze the application of this simple, but very efficient, algorithm to several stationary and nonstationary benchmark configurations in 2D and 3D (driven cavity and flow around obstacles), and we also demonstrate its effect to spurious velocities in multiphase flow simulations (,static bubble' configuration) if combined with edge-oriented, resp., interior penalty finite element method stabilization techniques. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||