Hybrid quantum physics-informed neural networks for simulating computational fluid dynamics in complex shapes

TL;DR

This paper introduces a hybrid quantum physics-informed neural network for simulating laminar fluid flows in complex 3D geometries, achieving higher accuracy than classical models and aiding shape optimization in fluid dynamics.

Contribution

It presents a novel hybrid quantum neural network approach that enhances simulation accuracy for complex geometries in computational fluid dynamics.

Findings

21% higher accuracy than classical neural networks

Effective in simulating fluid flows in complex geometries

Potential for improved shape optimization in CFD

Abstract

Finding the distribution of the velocities and pressures of a fluid by solving the Navier-Stokes equations is a principal task in the chemical, energy, and pharmaceutical industries, as well as in mechanical engineering and the design of pipeline systems. With existing solvers, such as OpenFOAM and Ansys, simulations of fluid dynamics in intricate geometries are computationally expensive and require re-simulation whenever the geometric parameters or the initial and boundary conditions are altered. Physics-informed neural networks are a promising tool for simulating fluid flows in complex geometries, as they can adapt to changes in the geometry and mesh definitions, allowing for generalization across fluid parameters and transfer learning across different shapes. We present a hybrid quantum physics-informed neural network that simulates laminar fluid flows in 3D Y-shaped mixers. Our approach combines the expressive power of a quantum model with the flexibility of a physics-informed neural network, resulting in a 21% higher accuracy compared to a purely classical neural network. Our findings highlight the potential of machine learning approaches, and in particular hybrid quantum physics-informed neural network, for complex shape optimization tasks in computational fluid dynamics. By improving the accuracy of fluid simulations in complex geometries, our research using hybrid quantum models contributes to the development of more efficient and reliable fluid dynamics solvers.