Simplex Space-Time Meshes in Compressible Flow Simulations
For computational fluid dynamics researchers, this provides a method for compressible flow on deforming domains with local time-stepping, though it is an incremental extension of existing space-time methods.
This work extends finite element compressible flow simulations to simplex space-time meshes, enabling simulations on domains with changing topology (e.g., a closing valve) and local temporal refinement. Parallel simulations on 120 cores show computation time savings from local temporal refinement.
Employing simplex space-time meshes enlarges the scope of compressible flow simulations. The simultaneous discretization of space and time with simplex elements extends the flexibility of unstructured meshes from space to time. In this work, we adopt a finite element formulation for compressible flows to simplex space-time meshes. The method obtained allows, e.g., flow simulations on spatial domains that change topology with time. We demonstrate this with the two-dimensional simulation of compressible flow in a valve that fully closes and opens again. Furthermore, simplex space-time meshes facilitate local temporal refinement. A three-dimensional transient simulation of blow-by past piston rings is run in parallel on 120 cores. The timings point out savings of computation time gained from local temporal refinement in space-time meshes.