arXiv subjects

Fabien Evrard

Publications and source records attributed to Fabien Evrard.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

PCIC: Cylindrical Volume Moment Calculation and Interface Reconstruction for Sub-Grid Modeling in Volume of Fluid Methods

The accurate modeling of topology changes remains a significant challenge in geometric Volume of Fluid (VOF) simulations. When using traditional single-plane reconstruction (PLIC), fluid structures smaller than the mesh size cannot be resolved and spurious numerical breakup is triggered; this impacts important flow statistics such as drop size distributions. Recent advances have introduced paraboloid and two-plane reconstructions, which have improved high-curvature performance and enabled sub-grid film reconstructions, respectively. However, sub-grid ligament reconstructions have remained elusive. In this work, a novel cylindrical interface reconstruction strategy called PCIC is introduced for sub-grid ligament modeling. PCIC is facilitated by deriving the analytical volume moments of quadratic cylinders clipping polyhedra; this allows for exact mass conservation during volume moment transport. From the transported moments, a straight circular cylinder can be defined in the center cell of a 5x5x5 stencil. First, a quadratic principal curve is fitted to the normalized first-order moments in the stencil (the liquid barycenters), from which the cylinder's orientation and origin are approximated. The cylinder radius is then chosen to conserve volume. On-the-fly ligament detection is achieved using connected-component labeling and moments of inertia criteria, which allows for simulations to automatically choose between PLIC and PCIC in each interface cell at runtime. PCIC is demonstrated in multiphase flow test cases, where it exhibits robust reconstruction of sub-grid ligaments. This allows for relatively low-resolution PCIC simulations to provide comparable results to traditional high-resolution simulations.

math.MG↗

arXiv2025

Sharp front tracking with geometric interface reconstruction

This paper presents a novel sharp front-tracking method designed to address limitations in classical front-tracking approaches, specifically their reliance on smooth interpolation kernels and extended stencils for coupling the front and fluid mesh. In contrast, the proposed method employs exclusively sharp, localized interpolation and spreading kernels, restricting the coupling to the interfacial fluid cells. This localized coupling is achieved by integrating a divergence-preserving velocity interpolation method with a piecewise parabolic interface calculation (PPIC) and a polyhedron intersection algorithm to compute the indicator function and local interface curvature. Surface tension is computed using the Continuum Surface Force (CSF) method, maintaining consistency with the sharp representation. Additionally, we propose an efficient local roughness smoothing implementation to account for surface mesh undulations, which is easily applicable to any triangulated surface mesh. Building on our previous work, the primary innovation of this study lies in the localization of the coupling for both the indicator function and surface tension calculations. By reducing the interface thickness on the fluid mesh to a single cell, as opposed to the 4-5 cell spans typical in classical methods, the proposed sharp front-tracking method achieves a highly localized and accurate representation of the interface. This sharper representation mitigates parasitic currents and improves force balancing, making it particularly suitable for scenarios where the interface plays a critical role, such as microfluidics, fluid-fluid interactions, and fluid-structure interactions. The presented results demonstrate that the sharp front-tracking method significantly outperforms the classical approach in terms of accuracy, stability, and computational efficiency.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2025

Steady undisturbed velocity correction scheme for Euler-Lagrange simulations near planar walls

Euler-Lagrange (EL) point-particle simulations rely on hydrodynamic force closure models to accurately predict particle dynamics in flows. The closure models currently employed for dilute particle-laden flows require the undisturbed fluid velocity estimated at the particle center. Recovering this undisturbed velocity necessitates modeling the particle-induced disturbance on the flow. In this work, we present a new framework for velocity disturbance modeling near no-slip walls, suited for dilute gas-solid flows characterized by large Stokes numbers. For small disturbance Reynolds numbers, the velocity disturbance governing equations reduce to the steady Stokes equations. To exactly satisfy the no-slip and no-penetration boundary conditions for the velocity disturbance at the location of the planar wall, we employ the method of images to derive the Green's functions of the Stokes equations for Wendland and Gaussian force regularization kernels. An additional convolution product with a mesh-spacing dependent Gaussian kernel is performed to match the solution produced by a discrete flow solver. We verify the proposed analytical model by comparing the velocity disturbance generated on a computational mesh with the model predictions. An extension of the model for finite particle Reynolds numbers is proposed by multiplying an Oseen correction factor in an unbounded domain. The correction scheme is validated using canonical test cases involving the motion of a single particle parallel and perpendicular to a wall at various Stokes numbers, particle Reynolds numbers, and particle diameter to mesh-spacing ratios. Owing to the polynomial representation of the velocity disturbance for a Wendland force regularization, the current model is computationally efficient and well-suited for large-scale, two-way coupled EL simulations.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2024

PLIC-Net: A Machine Learning Approach for 3D Interface Reconstruction in Volume of Fluid Methods

The accurate reconstruction of immiscible fluid-fluid interfaces from the volume fraction field is a critical component of geometric Volume of Fluid (VOF) methods. A common strategy is the Piecewise Linear Interface Calculation (PLIC), which fits a plane in each mixed-phase computational cell. However, recent work goes beyond PLIC by using two planes or even a paraboloid. To select such planes or paraboloids, complex optimization algorithms as well as carefully crafted heuristics are necessary. Yet, the potential exists for a well-trained machine learning model to efficiently provide broadly applicable solutions to the interface reconstruction problem at lower costs. In this work, the viability of a machine learning approach is demonstrated in the context of a single plane reconstruction. A feed-forward deep neural network is used to predict the normal vector of a PLIC plane given volume fraction and phasic barycenter data in a $3\times3\times3$ stencil. The PLIC plane is then translated in its cell to ensure exact volume conservation. Our proposed neural network PLIC reconstruction (PLIC-Net) is equivariant to reflections about the Cartesian planes. Training data is analytically generated with $\mathcal{O}(10^6)$ randomized paraboloid surfaces, which allows for sampling a wide range of interface shapes. PLIC-Net is tested in multiphase flow simulations where it is compared to standard (E)LVIRA reconstruction algorithms, and the impact of training data statistics on PLIC-Net's performance is also explored. It is found that PLIC-Net greatly limits the formation of spurious planes and generates cleaner numerical break-up of the interface. Additionally, the computational cost of PLIC-Net is lower than that of (E)LVIRA. These results establish that machine learning is a viable approach to VOF interface reconstruction and is superior to current reconstruction algorithms for some cases.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2024

A semi-analytical transient undisturbed velocity correction scheme for wall-bounded two-way coupled Euler-Lagrange simulations

In the present paper, we model the velocity disturbance generated by a regularized forcing near a planar wall, which, along with the temporal nature of the forcing, provides an estimate of the unsteady velocity disturbance of the particle near a planar wall. We use the analytical solution for a singular in-time transient Stokeslet near a planar wall (Felderhof, 2009) and derive the corresponding time-persistent Stokeslets. The velocity disturbance due to a regularized forcing is then obtained numerically via a discrete convolution with the regularization kernel. The resulting Green's functions for parallel and perpendicular regularized forcing to the wall are stored as pre-computed temporal correction maps. By storing the time-dependent particle force on the fluid as fictitious particles, we estimate the unsteady velocity disturbance generated by the particle as a scalar product between the stored forces and the pre-computed Green's functions. Since the model depends on the analytical Green's function solution of the singular Stokeslet near a planar wall, the obtained velocity disturbance exactly satisfies the no-slip condition and does not require any fitted parameters to account for the rapid decay of the disturbance near the wall. The numerical evaluation of the convolution integral makes the present method suitable for arbitrary regularization kernels. Additionally, the generation of parallel and perpendicular correction maps enables to estimate the velocity disturbance due to particle motion in arbitrary directions relative to the local flow. The convergence of the method is studied on a fixed particle near a planar wall, and verification tests are performed on a settling particle parallel to a wall and a free-falling particle perpendicular to the wall.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2024

Undisturbed velocity recovery with transient and weak inertia effects in volume-filtered simulations of particle-laden flows

In volume-filtered Euler-Lagrange simulations of particle-laden flows, the fluid forces acting on a particle are estimated using reduced models, which rely on the knowledge of the local undisturbed flow for that particle. Since the two-way coupling between the particle and the fluid creates a local flow perturbation, the filtered fluid velocity interpolated to the particle location must be corrected prior to estimating the fluid forces, so as to subtract the contribution of this perturbation and recover the local undisturbed flow with good accuracy. In this manuscript, we present a new model for estimating a particle's self-induced flow disturbance that accounts for its transient development and for inertial effects related to finite particle Reynolds numbers. The model also does not require the direction of the momentum feedback to align with the direction of the particle's relative velocity, allowing force contributions other than the steady drag force to be considered. It is based upon the linearization of the volume-filtered equations governing the particle's self-induced flow disturbance, such that their solution can be expressed as a linear combination of regularized transient Stokeslet contributions. Tested on a range of numerical cases, the model is shown to consistently estimate the particle's self-induced flow disturbance with high accuracy both in steady and highly transient flow environments, as well as for finite particle Reynolds numbers.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2024

Study and derivation of closures in the volume-filtered framework for particle-laden flows

The volume-filtering of the Navier-Stokes equations allows to consider the effect that particles have on the fluid without further assumptions, but closures arise of which the implications are not fully understood. In the present paper, we carefully study every closure in the volume-filtered fluid momentum equation and investigate their impact on the momentum and energy transfer dependent on the filtering characteristics. We provide an analytical expression for the viscous closure that arises because filter and spatial derivative in the viscous term do not commute. An analytical expression for the regularization of the particle momentum source of a single sphere in the Stokes regime is derived. Furthermore, we propose a model for the subfilter stress tensor, which originates from filtering the advective term. The model for the subfilter stress tensor is shown to agree well with the subfilter stress tensor for small filter widths relative to the size of the particle. We show that the subfilter stress tensor requires modeling and should not be neglected. For small filter widths, we find that the commonly applied Gaussian regularization of the particle momentum source is a poor approximation of the spatial distribution of the particle momentum source, but for larger filter widths the spatial distribution approaches a Gaussian. Furthermore, we propose a modified advective term in the volume-filtered momentum equation that consistently circumvents the common stability issues observed at locally small fluid volume fractions and identify inconsistencies in previous studies of the phase-averaged kinetic energy of the volume-filtered fluid velocity. Finally, we propose a generally applicable form of the volume-filtered momentum equation and its closures based on clear and well-founded assumptions and propose guidelines for point-particle simulations based on the new findings.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2024

Simulating interfacial flows: a farewell to planes

Over the past decades, the volume-of-fluid (VOF) method has been the method of choice for simulating atomization processes, owing to its unique ability to discretely conserve mass. Current state-of-the-art VOF methods, however, rely on the piecewise-linear interface calculation (PLIC) to represent the interface used when calculating advection fluxes. This renders the estimated curvature of the transported interface zeroth-order accurate at best, adversely impacting the simulation of surface-tension-driven flows. In the past few years, there have been several attempts at using piecewise-parabolic interface approximations instead of piecewise-linear ones for computing advection fluxes, albeit all limited to two-dimensional cases or not inherently mass conservative. In this contribution, we present our most recent work on three-dimensional piecewise-parabolic interface reconstruction and apply it in the context of the VOF method. As a result of increasing the order of the interface representation, the reconstruction of the interface and the estimation of its curvature now become a single step instead of two separate ones. The performance of this new approach is assessed both in terms of accuracy and stability and compared to the classical PLIC-VOF approach on a range of canonical test-cases and cases of surface-tension-driven instabilities.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2024

First moments of a polyhedron clipped by a paraboloid

We provide closed-form expressions for the first moments (i.e., the volume and volume-weighted centroid) of a polyhedron clipped by a paraboloid, that is, of a polyhedron intersected with the subset of the three-dimensional real space located on one side of a paraboloid. These closed-form expressions are derived following successive applications of the divergence theorem and the judicious parametrization of the intersection of the polyhedron's faces with the paraboloid. We provide means for identifying ambiguous discrete intersection topologies, and propose a corrective procedure for preventing their occurence. Finally, we put our proposed closed-form expressions and numerical approach to the test with millions of random and manually engineered polyhedron/paraboloid intersection configurations. The results of these tests show that we are able to provide robust machine-accurate estimates of the first moments at a computational cost that is within one order of magnitude of that of state-of-the-art half-space clipping algorithms.

math.MG↗

arXiv2023

Drag, lift and torque correlations for axi-symmetric non-spherical particles in locally non-uniform flows

This paper derives new correlations to predict the drag, lift and torque coefficients of axi-symmetric non-spherical rod-like particles for several fluid flow regimes and velocity profiles. The fluid velocity profiles considered are locally uniform flow and locally linear shear flow. The novel correlations for the drag, lift and torque coefficients depend on the particle Reynolds number \Rep, the orientation of the particle with respect to the main fluid direction $θ$, the aspect ratio of the rod-like particle $α$, and the dimensionless local shear rate $\tilde{G}$. The effect of the linear shear flow on the hydrodynamic forces is modeled as an additional component for the resultant of forces acting on a particle in a locally uniform flow, hence the independent expressions for the drag, lift and torque coefficients of axi-symmetric particles in a locally uniform flow are also provided in this work. The data provided to fit the coefficient in the new correlation are generated using available analytical expressions in the viscous regime, and performing direct numerical simulations (DNS) of the flow past the axi-symmetric particles at finite particle Reynolds number. The DNS are performed using the direct-forcing immersed boundary method. The coefficients in the proposed drag, lift and torque correlations are determined with a high degree of accuracy, where the mean error in the prediction lies below $2\%$ for the locally uniform flow correlations, and below $1.67\%$, $5.35\%$, $6.78\%$ for the correlations accounting for the change in the drag, lift, and torque coefficients in case of a linear shear flow, respectively. The proposed correlations for the drag, lift and torque coefficients can be used in large-scale simulations performed in the Eulerian-Lagrangian framework with locally uniform and non-uniform flows.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2023

Efficient reduction of vertex clustering using front tracking with surface normal propagation restriction

A significant computational expense and source of numerical errors in front tracking is the remeshing of the triangulated front, required due to distortion and compaction of the front following the Lagrangian advection of its vertices. Additionally, in classic front tracking, the remeshing of the front mesh is required not only due to the deformation of the front shape, but also because the vertices of the front are translated in the direction tangential to the front, induced by the front advection. We present the normal-only advection (NOA) front-tracking method with the aim of preventing the tangential motion of the front vertices and the associated vertex clustering, in order to reduce the number of remeshing operations required to retain a high-quality triangulated interface. To this end, we reformulate the velocity used to advect the front at each discrete front-vertex position. The proposed method is validated and tested against the classic front-tracking method, comparing volume conservation, shape preservation, computational costs, and the overall need for front remeshing, as well as experimental results for canonical interfacial flows. The presented results demonstrate that the NOA front-tracking method leads to a typical reduction of remeshing operations by 80 % or more compared to the classic front-tracking method for well-resolved cases, and results in a smoother front mesh, which is essential for an accurate representation of the geometrical properties of the front. The volume conservation error is reduced by approximately one order of magnitude with the proposed method compared to the classic front-tracking method, at a similar computational cost.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2023

Wavelet based modeling of subgrid-scales in LES of particle-laden turbulent flows

We propose a novel model to obtain the subgrid-scale velocity in the context of large-eddy simulation (LES) of particle-laden turbulent flows, to recover accurate particle statistics. In the new wavelet enrichment model, the subgrid-scale velocity is discretized with a divergence-free wavelet vector basis, and the coefficients of the expansion are obtained by minimizing the squared error of the linearized subfilter Navier-Stokes equations (SFNSE). The compact support of the wavelet basis is exploited to achieve continuously varying subgrid-scale velocity statistics across the domain. The performance of the new wavelet enrichment model is evaluated in single-phase and particle-laden flow simulations, comparing the results with the results of direct numerical simulations (DNS). The simulations show that the model can generate inhomogeneous and anisotropic velocity statistics, accurate strain-rotation relations, and a good approximation of the kinetic energy spectrum of the corresponding DNS. Furthermore, the model significantly improves the prediction of the particle-pair dispersion, the clustering of the particles, and the turbulence modulation by particles in two-way coupled simulations. The proposed model recovers the most important interactions between fluid turbulence and the behavior of the particles, while maintaining the computational cost on the order of a LES.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2023

Comparison of methods for curvature estimation from volume fractions

This paper evaluates and compares the accuracy and robustness of curvature estimation methods for three-dimensional interfaces represented implicitly by discrete volume fractions on a Cartesian mesh. The height function (HF) method is compared to three paraboloid fitting methods: fitting to the piecewise linear interface reconstruction centroids (PC), fitting to the piecewise linear interface reconstruction volumetrically (PV), and volumetrically fitting (VF) the paraboloid directly to the volume fraction field. The numerical studies presented in this work find that while the curvature error from the VF method converges with second-order accuracy as with the HF method for static interfaces represented by exact volume fractions, the PV method best balances low curvature errors with low computational cost for dynamic interfaces when the interface reconstruction and advection are coupled to a two-phase Navier-Stokes solver.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2023

Phase proper orthogonal decomposition of non-stationary turbulent flow

A phase proper orthogonal decomposition (Phase POD) method is demonstrated, utilizing phase averaging for the decomposition of spatio-temporal behaviour of statistically non-stationary turbulent flows in an optimized manner. The proposed Phase POD method is herein applied to a periodically forced statistically non-stationary lid-driven cavity flow, implemented using the snapshot proper orthogonal decomposition algorithm. Space-phase modes are extracted to describe the dynamics of the chaotic flow, in which four central flow patterns are identified for describing the evolution of the energetic structures as a function of phase. The modal building blocks of the energy transport equation are demonstrated as a function of the phase. The triadic interaction term can here be interpreted as the convective transport of bi-modal interactions. Non-local energy transfer is observed as a result of the non-stationarity of the dynamical processes inducing triadic interactions spanning across a wide range of mode numbers.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2023

A large eddy simulation model for two-way coupled particle-laden turbulent flows

In this paper we propose a new modeling framework for large eddy simulations (LES) of particle-laden turbulent flows that captures the interaction between the particle and fluid phase on both the resolved and subgrid-scales. Unlike the vast majority of existing subgrid-scale models, the proposed framework does not only account for the influence of the sugrid-scale velocity on the particle acceleration but also considers the effect of the particles on the turbulent fluid flow. This includes the turbulence modulation of the subgrid-scales by the particles, which is taken into account by the modeled subgrid-scale stress tensor, and the effect of the unresolved particle motion on the resolved flow scales. Our new modeling framework combines a recently proposed model for enriching the resolved fluid velocity with a subgrid-scale component, with the solution of a transport equation for the subgrid-scale kinetic energy. We observe very good agreement of the particle pair separation and particle clustering compared to the corresponding direct numerical simulation (DNS). Furthermore, we show that the change of subgrid-scale kinetic energy induced by the particles can be captured by the proposed modeling framework.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2023

A hybrid immersed boundary method for dense particle-laden flows

A novel smooth immersed boundary method (IBM) based on a direct-forcing formulation is proposed to simulate incompressible dense particle-laden flows. This IBM relies on a regularization of the transfer function between the Eulerian grid points (to discretise the fluid governing equations) and Lagrangian markers (to represent the particle surface) to fulfill the no-slip condition at the surfaces of the particles, allowing both symmetrical and non-symmetrical interpolation and spreading supports to be used. This enables that local source term contributions to the Eulerian grid, accounting for the boundary condition enforced at a Lagrangian marker on the surface of a particle, can be present on the inside of the particle only when this is beneficial, for instance when the Lagrangian marker is near another particle surface or near a domain boundary. However, when the Lagrangian marker is not near another particle surface or a domain boundary, the interpolation and spreading operators are locally symmetrical, meaning a ``classic'' IBM scheme is adopted. This approach, named hybrid IBM (HyBM), is validated with a number of test-cases from the literature. These results show that the HyBM achieves more accurate results compared to a classical IBM framework, especially at coarser mesh resolutions, when there are Lagrangian markers close to a particle surface or a domain wall.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2023

Spectral response between particle and fluid kinetic energy in decaying homogeneous isotropic turbulence

In particle-laden turbulence, the Fourier Lagrangian spectrum of each phase is regularly computed, and analytically derived response functions relate the Lagrangian spectrum of the fluid- and the particle phase. However, due to the periodic nature of the Fourier basis, the analysis is restricted to statistically stationary flows. In the present work, utilizing the bases of time-focalized proper orthogonal decomposition (POD), this analysis is extended to temporally non-stationary turbulence. Studying two-way coupled particle-laden decaying homogeneous isotropic turbulence for various Stokes numbers, it is demonstrated that the temporal POD modes extracted from the dispersed phase may be used for the expansion of both fluid- and particle velocities. The POD Lagrangian spectrum of each phase may thus be computed from the same set of modal building blocks, allowing the evaluation of response functions in a POD frame of reference. Based on empirical evaluations, a model for response functions in non-stationary flows is proposed. The related energies of the two phases is well approximated by simple analytical expressions dependent on the particle Stokes number. It is found that the analytical expressions closely resemble those derived through Fourier analysis of statistically stationary flows. These results suggest the existence of an inherent spectral symmetry underlying the dynamical systems consisting of particle-laden turbulence, a symmetry which spans across stationary/non-stationary particle-laden flow states.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2022

Breaching the capillary time-step constraint using a coupled VOF method with implicit surface tension

The capillary time-step constraint is the dominant limitation on the applicable time-step in many simulations of interfacial flows with surface tension and, consequently, governs the execution time of these simulations. We propose a fully-coupled pressure-based algorithm based on an algebraic Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) method in conjunction with an implicit linearised surface tension treatment that can breach the capillary time-step constraint. The advection of the interface is solved together with the momentum and continuity equations of the interfacial flow in a single system of linearised equations, providing an implicit coupling between pressure, velocity and the VOF colour function used to distinguish the interacting fluids. Surface tension is treated with an implicit formulation of the Continuum Surface Force (CSF) model, whereby both the interface curvature and the gradient of the colour function are treated implicitly with respect to the colour function. The presented results demonstrate that a time-step larger than the capillary time-step can be applied with this new numerical framework, as long as other relevant time-step restrictions are satisfied, including a time-step restriction associated with surface tension, density as well as viscosity.

physics.comp-ph↗