Adaptive coupling of 3D and 2D fluid flow models

TL;DR

This paper introduces an adaptive hybrid modeling framework that dynamically couples 3D and 2D fluid flow models using meshless methods, improving efficiency while maintaining accuracy in complex scenarios.

Contribution

It presents a novel adaptive coupling approach for 3D and 2D fluid models with on-the-fly data mapping and meshless discretization, extending model applicability.

Findings

Achieves up to 3x speed-up compared to high-resolution 3D simulations.

Maintains comparable accuracy with reduced computational cost.

Demonstrates higher flexibility in modeling complex flow scenarios.

Abstract

Similar to the notion of h-adaptivity, where the discretization resolution is adaptively changed, I propose the notion of model adaptivity, where the underlying model (the governing equations) is adaptively changed in space and time. Specifically, this work introduces a hybrid and adaptive coupling of a 3D bulk fluid flow model with a 2D thin film flow model. As a result, this work extends the applicability of existing thin film flow models to complex scenarios where, for example, bulk flow develops into thin films after striking a surface. At each location in space and time, the proposed framework automatically decides whether a 3D model or a 2D model must be applied. Using a meshless approach for both 3D and 2D models, at each particle, the decision to apply a 2D or 3D model is based on the user-prescribed resolution and a local principal component analysis. When a particle needs to be changed from a 3D model to 2D, or vice versa, the discretization is changed, and all relevant data mapping is done on-the-fly. Appropriate two-way coupling conditions and mass conservation considerations between the 3D and 2D models are also developed. Numerical results show that this model adaptive framework shows higher flexibility and compares well against finely resolved 3D simulations. In an actual application scenario, a 3 factor speed up is obtained, while maintaining the accuracy of the solution.