Pål Østebø Andersen

Jassem Abbasi, Pål Østebø Andersen

In recent years, the gap between Deep Learning (DL) methods and analytical or numerical approaches in scientific computing is tried to be filled by the evolution of Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs). However, still, there are many complications in the training of PINNs and optimal interleaving of physical models. Here, we introduced the concept of Physical Activation Functions (PAFs). This concept offers that instead of using general activation functions (AFs) such as ReLU, tanh, and sigmoid for all the neurons, one can use generic AFs that their mathematical expression is inherited from the physical laws of the investigating phenomena. The formula of PAFs may be inspired by the terms in the analytical solution of the problem. We showed that the PAFs can be inspired by any mathematical formula related to the investigating phenomena such as the initial or boundary conditions of the PDE system. We validated the advantages of PAFs for several PDEs including the harmonic oscillations, Burgers, Advection-Convection equation, and the heterogeneous diffusion equations. The main advantage of PAFs was in the more efficient constraining and interleaving of PINNs with the investigating physical phenomena and their underlying mathematical models. This added constraint significantly improved the predictions of PINNs for the testing data that was out-of-training distribution. Furthermore, the application of PAFs reduced the size of the PINNs up to 75% in different cases. Also, the value of loss terms was reduced by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude in some cases which is noteworthy for upgrading the training of the PINNs. The iterations required for finding the optimum values were also significantly reduced. It is concluded that using the PAFs helps in generating PINNs with less complexity and much more validity for longer ranges of prediction.

Jassem Abbasi, Ameya D. Jagtap, Ben Moseley et al.

Solving partial differential equations (PDEs) with discontinuous solutions , such as shock waves in multiphase viscous flow in porous media , is critical for a wide range of scientific and engineering applications, as they represent sudden changes in physical quantities. Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs), an approach proposed for solving PDEs, encounter significant challenges when applied to such systems. Accurately solving PDEs with discontinuities using PINNs requires specialized techniques to ensure effective solution accuracy and numerical stability. A benchmarking study was conducted on two multiphase flow problems in porous media: the classic Buckley-Leverett (BL) problem and a fully coupled system of equations involving shock waves but with varying levels of solution complexity. The findings show that PM and LM approaches can provide accurate solutions for the BL problem by effectively addressing the infinite gradients associated with shock occurrences. In contrast, AM methods failed to effectively resolve the shock waves. When applied to fully coupled PDEs (with more complex loss landscape), the generalization error in the solutions quickly increased, highlighting the need for ongoing innovation. This study provides a comprehensive review of existing techniques for managing PDE discontinuities using PINNs, offering information on their strengths and limitations. The results underscore the necessity for further research to improve PINNs ability to handle complex discontinuities, particularly in more challenging problems with complex loss landscapes. This includes problems involving higher dimensions or multiphysics systems, where current methods often struggle to maintain accuracy and efficiency.

Jassem Abbasi, Pål Østebø Andersen

The application of Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) is investigated for the first time in solving the one-dimensional Countercurrent spontaneous imbibition (COUCSI) problem at both early and late time (i.e., before and after the imbibition front meets the no-flow boundary). We introduce utilization of Change-of-Variables as a technique for improving performance of PINNs. We formulated the COUCSI problem in three equivalent forms by changing the independent variables. The first describes saturation as function of normalized position X and time T; the second as function of X and Y=T^0.5; and the third as a sole function of Z=X/T^0.5 (valid only at early time). The PINN model was generated using a feed-forward neural network and trained based on minimizing a weighted loss function, including the physics-informed loss term and terms corresponding to the initial and boundary conditions. All three formulations could closely approximate the correct solutions, with water saturation mean absolute errors around 0.019 and 0.009 for XT and XY formulations and 0.012 for the Z formulation at early time. The Z formulation perfectly captured the self-similarity of the system at early time. This was less captured by XT and XY formulations. The total variation of saturation was preserved in the Z formulation, and it was better preserved with XY- than XT formulation. Redefining the problem based on the physics-inspired variables reduced the non-linearity of the problem and allowed higher solution accuracies, a higher degree of loss-landscape convexity, a lower number of required collocation points, smaller network sizes, and more computationally efficient solutions.