arXiv subjects

Alessandro Parente

Publications and source records attributed to Alessandro Parente.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Transferable inference of turbulence models for urban flows with the Parameter-Regularised Ensemble Kalman Filter

The accurate simulation of urban flow is key to designing building ventilation, understanding cities' micrometeorology, and predicting pollutant dispersion. Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations are a common modelling approach for simulating urban flow, but their accuracy depends on the closure model and its parameters. These parameters are inferred from benchmark cases, but they are not necessarily suitable for realistic urban environments, which involve different physical mechanisms. This is referred to as the transferability problem of RANS urban modelling. The objective of this work is to propose a robust Bayesian method to {sequentially} infer RANS parameters for urban flow modelling. Key to the approach is the mathematical derivation of the parameter-regularised ensemble Kalman filter (PR-EnKF), which is the analytical solution of the data assimilation problem for the sequential parameter estimation. The cost functional is regularised using the prior knowledge on the turbulence parameters, thereby ensuring that the Bayesian updates remain within physical ranges. The parameters are first inferred on an isolated building, and then transferred to three cases of increasing complexity: (i) a high-rise building, (ii) a multi-building array, and (iii) the Shinjuku district urban environment. Results show that the PR-EnKF achieves faster convergence, reducing parameter uncertainty by an order of magnitude and reconstruction errors by up to 50%. Because of the regularisation, the PR-EnKF selectively updates the most important parameters. This work enables robust large-scale urban flow simulation whilst reducing the computational overhead of model optimisation for urban planning and air quality assessment.

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arXiv2026

aPriori: a Python package to process direct numerical simulations

In the field of computational fluid dynamics, direct numerical simulations generate highly detailed data for the analysis of turbulent flows by resolving all relevant physical scales. Yet their large size, complexity, and heterogeneity make systematic post-processing and data reuse increasingly challenging. Despite the growing availability of high-fidelity simulations through public repositories, extracting meaningful physical insight often requires substantial technical effort, specialized workflows, and access to high-performance computing resources. In this article we introduce \texttt{aPriori}, an open-source Python package developed to address these limitations by providing a dedicated, memory-efficient, and user-oriented framework for the analysis of direct numerical simulation data. The software enables streamlined handling of three-dimensional fields, including filtering, scale separation, gradient evaluation, thermochemical analysis, and visualization, using concise and reproducible scripts. Its pointer-based data management strategy allows very large datasets to be processed on standard workstations without excessive memory usage, significantly lowering the barrier to advanced analysis. Beyond basic post-processing, \texttt{aPriori} supports workflows central to modern turbulence and combustion research, such as a priori model assessment, data-driven closure development, and detailed chemical analyses that include computational singular perturbation. By unifying these capabilities within a coherent and extensible software architecture, \texttt{aPriori} enhances productivity, promotes reproducibility, and facilitates broader and more effective use of high-fidelity simulation data within the computational fluid dynamics community.

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arXiv2026

Clustering the Flow: A Data-Driven Framework for Pattern Discovery in Fluid Dynamics

Clustering techniques offer a powerful framework for analyzing complex flow dynamics and reducing computational costs in large-scale simulations. In this work, we propose a novel clustering-based approach using Vector Quantization Principal Component Analysis (VQPCA) to identify structural sensitivity zones, namely the regions where the fluid flow is more receptive to changes. To the authors knowledge, this is the first application of VQPCA to a fluid dynamics problem for the identification of flow patterns and dynamically relevant regions. As a fully data-driven technique, it does not rely on adjoint methods; therefore, this approach has the advantage of having low computational cost, since it depends exclusively on data from the direct problem. The VQPCA technique demonstrates its ability to extract dominant flow features by clustering the flow field into regions characterized by their intrinsic dynamics. To assess the validity of this method, it is used to investigate the wake behind a circular cylinder, revealing similarities to previously established structural sensitivity regions. The robustness of the approach is further assessed through validation and calibration in different operating conditions in this flow scenario. As an extension of the analysis, we address the complex dynamics of two planar synthetic jets, where the clustering insights can lead to develop flow control strategies. These results highlight the potential of clustering-based methods as practical and effective tools to analyze and optimize fluid flows.

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arXiv2025

Meshless data-driven decompositions with RBF-based inner products

Data-driven modal decompositions are useful tools for compressing data or identifying dominant structures. Popular ones like the dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) and the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) are defined with continuous inner products. These are usually approximated with samples of data uniform in space and time. However, not every dataset fulfills this requirement. Numerical simulations with smoothed particle hydrodynamics or experiments with Lagrangian particle tracking velocimetry produce scattered data varying in time and space, rendering sample-based inner products impossible. In this work, we extend a previous approach that computes the modal decompositions with meshfree radial basis functions (RBFs). We regress the data and use the continuous representation of the RBFs to compute the required inner products. We choose our basis to be constant in time, greatly reducing the computational cost since the inner product of the data reduces to the inner product of the basis functions. We use this approach in the most popular decompositions, namely the POD, DMD, multi-scale POD, and the two versions of the spectral POD. For all decompositions, the RBFs give a mesh-free representation of the spatial structures. Two test cases are considered: particle image velocimetry measurements of an impinging jet and large eddy simulations of the flow past a transitional airfoil. In both cases, the RBF-based approach outperforms classical binning and better recovers relevant structures across all data densities.

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arXiv2025

Generative artificial intelligence and hybrid models to accelerate LES in reactive flows: Application to hydrogen/methane combustion

With increasing emphasis on carbon neutrality, accurate and efficient combustion prediction has become essential for the design and optimization of new generation combustion systems. This study established a computational framework by combining large eddy simulation (LES) with a generative machine learning approach which integrates modal decomposition and neural network, enabling fast prediction of hydrogen-methane combustion. A canonical jet-in-hot-coflow burner was selected as the benchmark configuration. LES was performed using eddy dissipation concept model in conjunction with a 17-species and 58-step skeletal mechanism. Reasonable agreement between LES results and experimental data was obtained for temperature and species mass fraction, confirming the accuracy of the present LES results. Flow characteristics and flame structures were analyzed, providing a reference for choosing parameters in prediction. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) was used to extract dominant flow features, and a hybrid autoregressive model, which combines modal decomposition with a deep learning (POD-DL) was constructed to forecast the temporal evolution of the combustion field. Comparison between the predicted results and LES data, including instantaneous contours, radial distributions, histogram and relative root mean square error, demonstrated a reasonable agreement. The main complexity lies in capturing the chaotic and fine-scale structures inherent to turbulent combustion. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first application of such a hybrid generative model to reactive flow prediction, representing an important step toward using data-driven surrogates to accelerate CFD simulations in combustion research. The proposed approach achieves speed-up ratios of 121 and 845 relative to LES for two tested cases. The implementation will be integrated into the upcoming release of the ModelFLOWs-app.

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arXiv2023

Hierarchical Higher-Order Dynamic Mode Decomposition for Clustering and Feature Selection

In this work, a new algorithm based on the application of higher-order dynamic mode decomposition (HODMD) is proposed for feature selection and variables clustering in reacting flow simulations. The hierarchical HODMD (h-HODMD) performs a reduction of the model order, followed by the iterative selection of the best reconstructed variables thus creating clusters of features which can eventually be associated with distinct dynamical phenomena. Firstly, h-HODMD is combined with different data pre-processing techniques to assess their influence on the algorithm in terms of reconstruction error. Afterwards, the algorithm is applied to analyze three different databases obtained from numerical simulations of a non-premixed co-flow methane flame, and its performance are compared with the standard HODMD in terms of the achievable degree of reduction as well as in terms of reconstruction error. Results show that h-HODMD improves the reconstruction for all the variables when compared to the standard HODMD algorithm. This condition is achieved thanks to the iterative variables' clustering: finding dedicated modes for a specific group of features does in fact lead to a better reconstruction of the dynamics with respect to the case when the same (global) modes are used to reconstruct the entire set of variables. Finally, the clusters of variables found by means of h-HODMD are analyzed, and it is observed that the algorithm can group chemical species whose behavior is also consistent from a kinetic point of view. In fact, it allows for the possibility to formulate inexpensive reduced dynamical models for predicting flames liftoff, as well as for identifying the formation of local extinction and blowout conditions, to formulate accurate reduced models to describe the formation of pollutants in aviation, and for control purposes.

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arXiv2023

A predictive physics-aware hybrid reduced order model for reacting flows

In this work, a new hybrid predictive Reduced Order Model (ROM) is proposed to solve reacting flow problems. This algorithm is based on a dimensionality reduction using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) combined with deep learning architectures. The number of degrees of freedom is reduced from thousands of temporal points to a few POD modes with their corresponding temporal coefficients. Two different deep learning architectures have been tested to predict the temporal coefficients, based on recursive (RNN) and convolutional (CNN) neural networks. From each architecture, different models have been created to understand the behavior of each parameter of the neural network. Results show that these architectures are able to predict the temporal coefficients of the POD modes, as well as the whole snapshots. The RNN shows lower prediction error for all the variables analyzed. The model was also found capable of predicting more complex simulations showing transfer learning capabilities.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2022

Improving aircraft performance using machine learning: a review

This review covers the new developments in machine learning (ML) that are impacting the multi-disciplinary area of aerospace engineering, including fundamental fluid dynamics (experimental and numerical), aerodynamics, acoustics, combustion and structural health monitoring. We review the state of the art, gathering the advantages and challenges of ML methods across different aerospace disciplines and provide our view on future opportunities. The basic concepts and the most relevant strategies for ML are presented together with the most relevant applications in aerospace engineering, revealing that ML is improving aircraft performance and that these techniques will have a large impact in the near future.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2022

Advancing Reacting Flow Simulations with Data-Driven Models

The use of machine learning algorithms to predict behaviors of complex systems is booming. However, the key to an effective use of machine learning tools in multi-physics problems, including combustion, is to couple them to physical and computer models. The performance of these tools is enhanced if all the prior knowledge and the physical constraints are embodied. In other words, the scientific method must be adapted to bring machine learning into the picture, and make the best use of the massive amount of data we have produced, thanks to the advances in numerical computing. The present chapter reviews some of the open opportunities for the application of data-driven reduced-order modeling of combustion systems. Examples of feature extraction in turbulent combustion data, empirical low-dimensional manifold (ELDM) identification, classification, regression, and reduced-order modeling are provided.

stat.ML↗

arXiv2022

Local manifold learning and its link to domain-based physics knowledge

In many reacting flow systems, the thermo-chemical state-space is known or assumed to evolve close to a low-dimensional manifold (LDM). Various approaches are available to obtain those manifolds and subsequently express the original high-dimensional space with fewer parameterizing variables. Principal component analysis (PCA) is one of the dimensionality reduction methods that can be used to obtain LDMs. PCA does not make prior assumptions about the parameterizing variables and retrieves them empirically from the training data. In this paper, we show that PCA applied in local clusters of data (local PCA) is capable of detecting the intrinsic parameterization of the thermo-chemical state-space. We first demonstrate that utilizing three common combustion models of varying complexity: the Burke-Schumann model, the chemical equilibrium model and the homogeneous reactor. Parameterization of these models is known a priori which allows for benchmarking with the local PCA approach. We further extend the application of local PCA to a more challenging case of a turbulent non-premixed $n$-heptane/air jet flame for which the parameterization is no longer obvious. Our results suggest that meaningful parameterization can be obtained also for more complex datasets. We show that local PCA finds variables that can be linked to local stoichiometry, reaction progress and soot formation processes.

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arXiv2022

Higher order dynamic mode decomposition to model reacting flows

In this work, the application of the multi-dimensional higher order dynamic mode decomposition (HODMD) is proposed for the first time to analyse combustion databases. In particular, HODMD has been adapted and combined with other pre-processing techniques (generally used in machine learning), in light of the multivariate nature of the data. A truncation step separate the main dynamics driving the flow from less relevant non-linear dynamics. The method is applied to analyse a database obtained from a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation of an axisymmetric, time varying, non-premixed, co-flow methane flame carried out by means of a detailed kinetic mechanism. Results show that HODMD can reconstruct the main jet dynamics with a reduced number of relevant modes, able to reproduce the system dynamics. These modes are found to be representative for the main flow physics with two main advantages: (i) they provide for the possibility to achieve a strong simplification with respect to the high-dimensional input data, and at the same time (ii) a small reconstruction error with respect to the original dataset is observed. In addition, the method was also validated considering a reduced matrix obtained using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) based feature selection and the Varimax rotation. This validation also reveals that it is not important to have all the variables in the dataset, just a group of them is necessary to obtain the main dynamics of the system. This has an impact on feature selection and on the cost these methodologies for very massive data.

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