La simulation numérique est largement utilisée pour évaluer les performances aérodynamiques des aéronefs ainsi qu'en optimisation de forme. Ainsi l'objectif de ces simulations est souvent le calcul de fonctions aérodynamiques. L'objet de cette thèse est d'étudier des méthodes d'adaptation de maillages basées sur la dérivée totale de ces fonctions par rapport aux coordonnées du maillage (notée dJ/dX). Celle-ci pouvant être calculée par la méthode adjointe discrète. La première partie de cette étude concerne l'application de méthodes d'adaptation de maillages appliquées à des écoulements de fluides parfaits. Le senseur qui détecte les zones de maillage à raffiner s'appuie sur la norme de cette dérivée pour adapter des maillages pour le calcul d'une fonction J. La seconde partie du travail est la construction et l'étude de critères plus fiables basés sur dJ/dX pour d'une part adapter des maillages et d'autre part estimer si un maillage est bien adapté ou non pour le calcul de la fonction J. De plus une méthode de remaillage plus efficace basée sur une EDP elliptique est aussi présentée. Cette nouvelle méthode est appliquée pour des écoulements bidimensionnels de fluides parfaits ainsi que pour un écoulement décrit par les équations RANS. La dernière partie de l'étude est consacrée à l'application de la méthode proposée à des cas tridimensionnels d'écoulement RANS sur des géométries d'intérêt industriel. / Numerical simulation is widely used for the assessment of aircraft aerodynamic performances and shape optimizations. Hence the objective of these simulations is often to compute aerodynamic outputs. The purpose of this thesis is to study mesh adaptation methods based on the total derivative of the outputs with respect to mesh coordinates (denoted dJ/dX). This derivative can be computed using the discrete adjoint method. The first part of this study is about the application of mesh adaptation methods applied for Eulerian flows. The mesh locations to refine are detected using a sensor based on the norm of the derivative dJ/dX. This study confirmed that this derivative is relevant in order to adapt a mesh for the computation of the output J. The second part of this work is the construction and the study of reliable criteria based on dJ/dX for both mesh adaptation and the quality assessment of a given mesh for the computation of the output J. Moreover a more efficient remeshing method based on an elliptic PDE is presented too. This new method is applied for both two-dimensional Eulerian flows and a flow described by the RANS equations. The last part of the study is devoted to the application of the proposed method to three-dimensional RANS flows on geometries of industrial interest.

O som gerado por escoamentos, também conhecido como aeroacústica, tem se tornado cada vez mais importante em áreas industriais diversas desde aviação comercial até aparelhos eletrodomésticos, afetando diretamente os requisitos necessários para o desenvolvimento de novos produtos. Um caso particular é o ruído gerado por válvulas de compressores herméticos de refrigeração, sendo o compressor a principal fonte de ruído em refrigeradores domésticos. O presente trabalho tem por objetivo iniciar o desenvolvimento de uma ferramenta confiável de simulação capaz de auxiliar engenheiros na predição de problemas de aeroacústica, especialmente um que possa no futuro ser utilizado para estudar o ruído gerado pelo escoamento em válvulas de compressores herméticos. Para isso, foi desenvolvido um código para simulação numérica direta de aeroacústica. Utilizou-se processamento paralelo com decomposição de domínio para usar Simulação Numérica Direta em um tempo factível; esquemas de discretização espaciais e temporais de alta ordem para minimizar ao máximo os fenômenos de dissipação e dispersão do escoamento e das ondas acústicas e uma série de tratamentos no domínio como filtragem e estiramento da malha como também condições de contorno características com o intuito de obter uma solução adequada para estudo de aeroacústica. Assim, são apresentadas todas as etapas desenvolvidas no equacionamento, implementação e verificação. A verificação foi realizada segundo um processo matemático formal (Método das Soluções Manufaturadas) com o qual obteve-se que a ordem de precisão dos cálculos era a mesma da ordem formal dos esquemas de discretização utilizados para todas as variáveis. Também obteve-se a mesma concordância para análise do divergente da velocidade, verificando o código para simulação numérica direta de aeroacústica. Posteriormente, foram realizadas simulações de escoamentos compressíveis cisalhantes e seus resultados comparados com dados apresentados em literatura. Também foram calculadas as taxas de amplificação de perturbações e comparadas com a Teoria de Estabilidade Linear. Novamente, foram obtidos resultados satisfatórios nessas etapas, mostrando que a implementação do código DNS está verificada. / Sound generated by flow, known as aeroacoustics, is becoming more important in several industrial areas from commercial aircraft to household appliances, affecting directly the requirements to the development of new products. A particular case is the noise generated by valves of refrigeration hermetic compressors, being the compressor the main noise source in household refrigerators. This work has the goal of initiate the development of a reliable tool able to help engineers to predict aeroacoustics problems, specially one that can be used in the future to study the noise generated by the flow in valves of hermetic compressors. To do so, it was developed a numerical code to perform direct numerical simulation of aeroacoustics. It was used parallel processing with domain decomposition to use Direct Numerical Simulation in a feasible time; high order temporal and spatial discretization schemes to minimize the most the dispersion and dissipation phenomena of the flow field and of the acoustics waves and a series of treatments in the domain as filtering and mesh stretching as well as characteristics boundary conditions aiming a proper solution to study aeroacoustics. Thus, here all the steps developed in the formulation, implementation and verification are presented . The verification was done according to a formal mathematical procedure (Method of Manufactured Solutions) with which was found that the precision order of the calculations was the same of the formal order of the used discretization schemes for all variables. The same agreement was also obtained to the analysis of the divergence of the velocity, verifying the code to direct numerical simulation of aeroacoustics. Posteriorly, it were simulated shear compressible flows and the results were compared to literature data. Also, it were calculated the amplification rates of the disturbances and compared to Linear Stability Theory. Once more, it was obtained satisfactory results in these steps, showing that the implementation of the DNS code is verified.

A investigação dos mecanismos de instabilidade pode ter um papel importante no entendimento do processo laminar para turbulento de um escoamento. Análise de instabilidade de uma camada limite de uma linha de estagnação compressível foi realizada no contexto de teoria linear BiGlobal. O estudo dos mecanismos de instabilidade deste escoamento pode proporcionar uma visão útil no desenho aerodinâmico das asas. Um novo procedimento foi desenvolvido e implementado computacionalmente de maneira sequencial e paralela para o estudo de instabilidade BiGlobal. O mesmo baseia-se em formar a matriz esparsa associada ao problema discretizado por dois métodos: pontos de colocação de Chebyshev-Gauss-Lobatto e diferenças finitas, além das combinações destes métodos. Isto permitiu o uso de bibliotecas computacionais eficientes para resolver o sistema linear associado ao problema de autovalor utilizando o algoritmo de Arnoldi. O desempenho do método numérico e código computacional proposto são analisados do ponto de vista do uso de métodos de ordenação dos elementos da matriz, coeficientes de preenchimento, memória e tempo computacional a fim de determinar a solução mais eficiente para um problema físico geral com técnicas de matrizes esparsas. Um estudo paramétrico da instabilidade da camada limite de uma linha de estagnação foi realizado incluindo o estudo dos efeitos de compressibilidade. O excelente desempenho código computacional permitiu obter as curvas neutras e seus respectivos valores críticos para a faixa de número de Mach 0 \'< OU =\' Ma \'< OU =\' 1. Os resultados confirmam a teoria assintótica apresentada por (THEOFILIS; FEDOROV; COLLIS, 2004) e mostram que o incremento do número de Mach reduz o numero de Reynolds crítico e a faixa instável do número de ondas. / Investigation of linear instability mechanisms is essential for understanding the process of transition from laminar to turbulent flow. An algorithm for the numerical solution of the compressible BiGlobal eigenvalue problem is developed. This algorithm exploits the sparsity of the matrices resulting from the spatial discretization of the enigenvalue problem in order to improve the performance in terms of both memory and CPU time over previous dense algebra solutions. Spectral collocation and finite differences spatial discretization methods are implemented, and a performance study is carried out in order to determine the best practice for the efficient solution of a general physical problem with sparse matrix techniques. A combination of spectral collocation and finite differences can further improve the performance. The code developed is then applied in order to revisit and complete the parametric analyses on global instability of the compressible swept Hiemenz flow initiated in (THEOFILIS; FEDOROV; COLLIS, 2004) and obtain neutral curves of this flow as a function of the Mach number in the 0 \'< OU =\' Ma \'< OU =\' 1 range. The present numerical results fully confirm the asymptotic theory results presented in (THEOFILIS; FEDOROV; COLLIS, 2004). This work presents a complete parametric study of the instability properties of modal three dimensional disturbances in the subsonic range for the flow conguration at hand. Up to the subsonic maximum Mach number value studied, it is found that an increase in this parameter reduces the critical Reynolds number and the range of the unstable spanwise wavenumbers.

O trabalho desenvolvido nesta tese propõe a aplicação do método da expansão em funções hierárquicas elaborado por Zienkiewics e Morgan (1983), para a solução das equações de conservação da massa (continuidade), conservação da quantidade de movimento (Navier-Stokes) e conservação da energia, para fluidos compressíveis em duas dimensões e em alta velocidade. Esse método consiste no emprego do método de elementos finitos utilizando a formulação Petrov-Galerkin, conhecido como SUPG (“Streamline Upwind Petrov-Galerkin"), desenvolvido por Brooks e Hughes (1982), aplicado em conjunto com uma expansão das variáveis em funções hierárquicas. A fim de testar e validar o método numérico proposto, assim como o programa computacional elaborado, foram simulados alguns casos conhecidos da literatura. Os casos estudados foram os seguintes: teste de Continuidade; teste de convergência e estabilidade; problema do degrau de temperatura e problema do choque oblíquo, onde o objetivo desse último caso era, basicamente, verificar a captura da onda de choque pelo método numérico desenvolvido. Através dos casos estudados e em função dos resultados obtidos nas simulações realizadas, conclui-se que o objetivo desse trabalho foi alcançado de maneira satisfatória, pois os resultados obtidos com o método desenvolvido nesse trabalho foram qualitativamente e quantitativamente bons, quando comparados com os resultados teóricos. / The Thesis develops a new application for the Hierarchical Function Expansion Method, proposed by Zienkiewics and Morgan (1983), for the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations for compressible fluids in two dimensions and in high velocity. This method is based on the finite elements method using the Petrov-Galerkin formulation, know as, SUPG (Streamline Upwind Petrov-Galerkin) developed by Brooks and Hughes (1982), and applied in conjunction with the expansion of the variables into hierarchical functions. To test and validate the numerical method proposed as well as the computational program developed some cases whose theoretical solution are known simulated. These cases are the following: continuity test; stability and convergence test; temperature step problem; and several oblique shocks. The objective of the last cases is basically to verify the capture of the shock wave by the method developed. The results obtained in the simulations of the cases performed with the proposed method were good both qualitatively and quantitatively when compared with the teorethical solutions. This allows us to conclude that the objective of this Thesis was satisfactorily reached.

O trabalho desenvolvido nesta tese propõe a aplicação do método da expansão em funções hierárquicas elaborado por Zienkiewics e Morgan (1983), para a solução das equações de conservação da massa (continuidade), conservação da quantidade de movimento (Navier-Stokes) e conservação da energia, para fluidos compressíveis em duas dimensões e em alta velocidade. Esse método consiste no emprego do método de elementos finitos utilizando a formulação Petrov-Galerkin, conhecido como SUPG (“Streamline Upwind Petrov-Galerkin”), desenvolvido por Brooks e Hughes (1982), aplicado em conjunto com uma expansão das variáveis em funções hierárquicas. A fim de testar e validar o método numérico proposto, assim como o programa computacional elaborado, foram simulados alguns casos conhecidos da literatura. Os casos estudados foram os seguintes: teste de Continuidade; teste de convergência e estabilidade; problema do degrau de temperatura e problema do choque oblíquo, onde o objetivo desse último caso era, basicamente, verificar a captura da onda de choque pelo método numérico desenvolvido. Através dos casos estudados e em função dos resultados obtidos nas simulações realizadas, conclui-se que o objetivo desse trabalho foi alcançado de maneira satisfatória, pois os resultados obtidos com o método desenvolvido nesse trabalho foram qualitativamente e quantitativamente bons, quando comparados com os resultados teóricos. / The Thesis develops a new application for the Hierarchical Function Expansion Method, proposed by Zienkiewics and Morgan (1983), for the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations for compressible fluids in two dimensions and in high velocity. This method is based on the finite elements method using the Petrov-Galerkin formulation, know as, SUPG (Streamline Upwind Petrov-Galerkin) developed by Brooks and Hughes (1982), and applied in conjunction with the expansion of the variables into hierarchical functions. To test and validate the numerical method proposed as well as the computational program developed some cases whose theoretical solution are known simulated. These cases are the following: continuity test; stability and convergence test; temperature step problem; and several oblique shocks. The objective of the last cases is basically to verify the capture of the shock wave by the method developed. The results obtained in the simulations of the cases performed with the proposed method were good both qualitatively and quantitatively when compared with the teorethical solutions. This allows us to conclude that the objective of this Thesis was satisfactorily reached.

O som gerado por escoamentos, também conhecido como aeroacústica, tem se tornado cada vez mais importante em áreas industriais diversas desde aviação comercial até aparelhos eletrodomésticos, afetando diretamente os requisitos necessários para o desenvolvimento de novos produtos. Um caso particular é o ruído gerado por válvulas de compressores herméticos de refrigeração, sendo o compressor a principal fonte de ruído em refrigeradores domésticos. O presente trabalho tem por objetivo iniciar o desenvolvimento de uma ferramenta confiável de simulação capaz de auxiliar engenheiros na predição de problemas de aeroacústica, especialmente um que possa no futuro ser utilizado para estudar o ruído gerado pelo escoamento em válvulas de compressores herméticos. Para isso, foi desenvolvido um código para simulação numérica direta de aeroacústica. Utilizou-se processamento paralelo com decomposição de domínio para usar Simulação Numérica Direta em um tempo factível; esquemas de discretização espaciais e temporais de alta ordem para minimizar ao máximo os fenômenos de dissipação e dispersão do escoamento e das ondas acústicas e uma série de tratamentos no domínio como filtragem e estiramento da malha como também condições de contorno características com o intuito de obter uma solução adequada para estudo de aeroacústica. Assim, são apresentadas todas as etapas desenvolvidas no equacionamento, implementação e verificação. A verificação foi realizada segundo um processo matemático formal (Método das Soluções Manufaturadas) com o qual obteve-se que a ordem de precisão dos cálculos era a mesma da ordem formal dos esquemas de discretização utilizados para todas as variáveis. Também obteve-se a mesma concordância para análise do divergente da velocidade, verificando o código para simulação numérica direta de aeroacústica. Posteriormente, foram realizadas simulações de escoamentos compressíveis cisalhantes e seus resultados comparados com dados apresentados em literatura. Também foram calculadas as taxas de amplificação de perturbações e comparadas com a Teoria de Estabilidade Linear. Novamente, foram obtidos resultados satisfatórios nessas etapas, mostrando que a implementação do código DNS está verificada. / Sound generated by flow, known as aeroacoustics, is becoming more important in several industrial areas from commercial aircraft to household appliances, affecting directly the requirements to the development of new products. A particular case is the noise generated by valves of refrigeration hermetic compressors, being the compressor the main noise source in household refrigerators. This work has the goal of initiate the development of a reliable tool able to help engineers to predict aeroacoustics problems, specially one that can be used in the future to study the noise generated by the flow in valves of hermetic compressors. To do so, it was developed a numerical code to perform direct numerical simulation of aeroacoustics. It was used parallel processing with domain decomposition to use Direct Numerical Simulation in a feasible time; high order temporal and spatial discretization schemes to minimize the most the dispersion and dissipation phenomena of the flow field and of the acoustics waves and a series of treatments in the domain as filtering and mesh stretching as well as characteristics boundary conditions aiming a proper solution to study aeroacoustics. Thus, here all the steps developed in the formulation, implementation and verification are presented . The verification was done according to a formal mathematical procedure (Method of Manufactured Solutions) with which was found that the precision order of the calculations was the same of the formal order of the used discretization schemes for all variables. The same agreement was also obtained to the analysis of the divergence of the velocity, verifying the code to direct numerical simulation of aeroacoustics. Posteriorly, it were simulated shear compressible flows and the results were compared to literature data. Also, it were calculated the amplification rates of the disturbances and compared to Linear Stability Theory. Once more, it was obtained satisfactory results in these steps, showing that the implementation of the DNS code is verified.

The thesis deals with the development of a new residual error estimator and adaptive algorithms based on the error estimator for steady and unsteady fluid flows in a finite volume framework. The aposteriori residual error estimator referred to as R--parameter, is a measure of the local truncation error and is derived from the imbalance arising from the use of an exact operator on the numerical solution for conservation laws. A detailed and systematic study of the R--parameter on linear and non--linear hyperbolic problems, involving continuous flows and discontinuities is performed. Simple theoretical analysis and extensive numerical experiments are performed to establish the fact that the R--parameter is a valid estimator at limiter--free continuous flow regions, but is rendered inconsistent at discontinuities and with limiting. The R--parameter is demonstrated to work equally well on different mesh topologies and detects the sources of error, making it an ideal choice to drive adaptive strategies. The theory of the error estimation is also extended for unsteady flows, both on static and moving meshes. The R--parameter can be computed with a low computational overhead and is easily incorporated into existing finite volume codes with minimal effort. Adaptive refinement algorithms for steady flows are devised employing the residual error estimator. For continuous flows devoid of limiters, a purely R--parameter based adaptive algorithm is designed. A threshold length scale derived from the estimator determines the refinement/derefinement criterion, leading to a self--evolving adaptive algorithm devoid of heuristic parameters. On the other hand, for compressible flows involving discontinuities and limiting, a hybrid adaptive algorithm is proposed. In this hybrid algorithm, error indicators are used to flag regions for refinement, while regions of derefinement are detected using the R--parameter. Two variants of these algorithms, which differ in the computation of the threshold length scale are proposed. The disparate behaviour of the R--parameter for continuous and discontinuous flows is exploited to design a simple and effective discontinuity detector for compressible flows. For time--dependent flow problems, a two--step methodology is proposed for adaptive grid refinement. In the first step, the ``best" mesh at any given time instant is determined. The second step involves predicting the evolution of flow phenomena over a period of time and refines regions into which the flow features would progress into. The latter step is implemented using a geometric--based ``Refinement Level Projection" strategy which guarantees that the flow features remain in adapted zones between successive adaptive cycles and hence uniform solution accuracy. Several numerical experiments involving inviscid and viscous flows on different grid topologies are performed to illustrate the success of the proposed adaptive algorithms. Appendix 1 Candidate's response to the comments/queries of the examiners The author would like to thank the reviewers for their appreciation of the work embodied in the thesis and for their comments. The clarifications to the comments and queries posed in the reviews are summarized below. Referee 1 Q: The example of mesh refinement for RANS solution with shock was performed with isotropic mesh, while the author claims that it is appropriate with anisotropic mesh. If this is the case, why did he not demonstrate that ? As the author knows well, in the case of full 3--D configuration, isotropic adaptation will lead to substantial grid points. The large mesh will hamper timely turnaround time of simulation. Therefore it would be a significant contribution to the aero community if this point is investigated at a later date. Response: The author is of the view that for most practical situations, a pragmatic approach to mesh adaptation for RANS computations would merely involve generating a viscous padding of adequate fineness around the body and allowing for grid adaptation only in the outer potential region. Of course, this method would allow for grid adaptation in the outer layers of viscous padding only to the extent the smoothness criterion is satisfied while adapting the grids in the potential region. This completely obviates point addition to the wall (CAD surface) and there by avoids all complexities (like loss in automation) resulting from the interaction with the surface modeler while adding point on the wall. This method is expected to do well for attached flows and mildly separated flows. This method is expected to do well even for problems involving shock - boundary layer interaction, owing to the fact that the shock is normal to the wall surface (recall, a flow aligned grid is ideal to capture such shocks), as long as the interaction does not result in a massive separation. This approach has already been demonstrated in section 4.5.3 where in adaptive high-lift computations have been performed. Isotropic adaptation retains the goodness of the zero level grid and therefore the robustness of the solver does not suffer through successive levels of grid adaptation. This procedure may result in large number of volumes. On the other hand, the anisotropic refinement may result in significantly less number of volumes, but the mesh quality may have badly degenerated during successive levels of adaptation leading to difficulties in convergence. Therefore, the choice of either of these strategies is effectively dictated by requirements on grid quality and grid size. Also, it is generally understood that building tools for anisotropic adaptation are more complicated as compared to those required for isotropic adaptation, while anisotropic refinement may not require point addition on the wall. Considering these facts, in the view of the author, this issue is an open issue and his personal preference would be to use isotropic refinement or a hybrid strategy employing a combination of these methodologies, particularly considering aspects of solution quality. Finally, in both the examples cited by the reviewer (sections 6.4.5 & 6.4.6) the objective was to demonstrate the efficacy of the new adaptive algorithm (using error indicators and the residual estimator), rather than evaluating the pros & cons of isotropic and anisotropic refinement strategies. In the sections cited above, the author has merely highlighted the advantages of the refinement strategies in specific context of the problem considered and these statements need not be considered as general. Referee 2 Q: For convection problems, a good error estimator must be able to distinguish between locally generated error and convected error. The thesis says the residual error estimator is able to do this and some numerical evidence is presented, but can the candidate comment how the estimator is able to achieve this ? Response: The ultimate aim of any AMR strategy is to reduce the global error. The residual error estimator proposed in this work measures the local truncation error. It has been shown in the context of a linear convective equation that the global error in a cell consists of two parts--the locally generated error in the cell (which is the R--parameter) and the local error transported from other cells in the domain. Either of these errors are dependent on the local error itself and any algorithm that reduces the local truncation error (sources of error) will reduce the global error in the domain. This conclusion is supported by the test case of isentropic flow past an airfoil (Chapter 3, C, Pg 79), where refinement based on the R--parameter leads to lower global error levels than a global error based refinement itself. Q: While analysing the R--parameter in Section 3.3, the operator δ2 is missing. Response: The analysis in Section 3.3 is based on Eq.(3.3) (Pg 58) which provides the local truncation error. As can be seen from Eq.(3.14), the LHS represents the discrete operator acting on the numerical solution (which is zero) and the first term on the RHS is the exact operator acting on the numerical solution (which is I[u]). Consequently the truncation terms T1 and T2 contribute to the truncation error R1 . However, from the viewpoint of computing the error estimate on a discretised domain, we need to replace the exact operator I by a higher order discrete operator δ2 . This gives the R-parameter, which has contributions from R1 as well as discretisation errors due to the higher order operator, R2 . When the latter is negligible compared to the former, the R--parameter is an estimate of the local truncation error. The truncation error depends on the accuracy of the reconstruction procedure used in obtaining the numerical solution and hence on the discrete operator δ1. On very similar lines, it can be shown that operator δ2 leads to a formal second order accuracy and this operator is only required in computing the residual error estimate. Q: What does the phrase "exact derivatives of the numerical solution" mean ? Response: This statement exemplifies the fact that the numerical solution is the exact solution to the modified partial differential equation and that the truncation terms T1 and T2 that constitute the R--parameter are functions of the derivatives of this numerical solution. Q: For the operator δ2 quadratic reconstruction is employed. Is the exact or numerical flux function used ? Response: The operator δ2 is a higher order discrete approximation to the exact operator I. Therefore, a quadratic polynomial with a three--point Gauss quadrature has been used in the error estimation procedure. Error estimation does not involve issues with convergence associated with the flow solver and therefore an exact flux function has been employed with the δ2 operator. Nevertheless, it is also possible to use the same numerical flux function as employed in the flow solver for error estimation also. Q: The same stencil of grid points is used for the solution update and the error estimation. Does this not lead to an increased stencil size ? Response: In comparison to reconstruction using higher degree polynomials such as cubic and quartic reconstruction, quadratic reconstruction involves only a smaller stencil of points consisting of the node--sharing neighbours of a cell. The use of such a support stencil is sufficient for linear reconstruction also and adds to the robustness of the flow solver, although a linear reconstruction can, in principle, work with a smaller support stencil. A possible alternative to using quadratic reconstruction (and hence a slightly larger stencil) is to adopt a Defect Correction strategy to obtain derivatives to higher order accuracy and needs to be explored in detail. Q: How is the R--parameter computed for viscous flows ? Response: The computation of the R--parameter for viscous flows is on the same lines as for inviscid flows. The gradients needed for viscous flux computation at the face centers are obtained using quadratic reconstruction. The procedure for calculation of the R--parameter for steady flows (both inviscid and viscous) is the step--by--step algorithm in Section 3.5. Q: In some cases, regions ahead of the shock show no coarsening. Response: The adaptive algorithm proposed in this work does not allow for coarsening of the initial mesh, and regions ahead of the shock remain unaffected (because of uniform flow) at all levels of refinement. Q: Do adaptation strategies terminate automatically atleast for steady flows ? Response: The adaptation strategies (RAS and HAS) must, in principle by virtue of construction of the algorithm, automatically terminate for steady flows. In the HAS algorithms though, there are certain heuristic criteria for termination of refinement especially at shocks/turbulent boundary layers. In this work, a maximum of four cycles of refinement/derefinement have only been carried out and therefore an automatic termination of the adaptive strategies were no studied. Q: How do residual--based adaptive strategies compare and contrast with adjoint--based approaches which are now becoming popular for goal--oriented adaptation ? Adjoint--based methods involve solution to the adjoint problem in addition to solving the primal problem, which represents a substantial computational cost. A timing study for a typical 3D problem[2] indicates that the solution of the adjoint problem (which needs the computation of the Jacobian and sensitivities of the functional) could require as much as one--half of the total time needed to compute the flow solution. On the contrary, R--parameter based refinement involves no additional information than that required by the flow solver and is roughly equivalent to one explicit iteration of the flow solver (Section 3.5.1). For practical 3--D applications, adjoint--based approaches will lead to a prohibitively high cost, and more so for dynamic adaptation. This is also exemplified by the fact that there has been only few recent works on 3D adaptive computations based on adjoint error estimation (which consider only inviscid flows)[1,2]. Goal--oriented adaptation involves reducing the error in some functional of interest. This can be achieved within the framework of R--parameter based adaptation, by introducing additional termination criteria based on integrated quantities. Within an automated adaptation loop, such an algorithm would terminate when the integrated quantities do not change appreciably with refinement levels. This is in contrast to the adjoint--based approach which strives to reduce the error in the functional below a certain threshold. Considering the fact that reducing the residual leads to reducing the global error itself, the R--parameter based adaptive algorithm would also lead to accurate estimates of the integrated quantities (which depend on the numerical solution). This is also reflected in the fact that the R--parameter based adaptation for the three--element NHLP configuration predicts the lift and drag coefficients to reasonable accuracy, as shown in Section 4.5.3. The author is of the belief that the R--parameter based adaptive algorithm holds huge promise for adaptive simulations of flow past complex geometries, both in terms of computational cost and solution accuracy. This is exemplified by successful adaptive simulations of inviscid flow past ONERA M6 wing as well as a conventional missile configuration[3]. A more concrete comparison of the R--parameter based and adjoint--based approaches would involve systematically solving a set of problems by both approaches and has not been considered in this thesis. [1] Nemec and Aftosmis,``Adjoint error estimation and adaptive refinement for embedded--boundary cartesian meshes", AIAA Paper 2007--4187, 2007. [2] Wintzer, Nemec and Aftosmis,``Adjoint--based adaptive mesh refinement for sonic boom prediction", AIAA Paper 2008--6593, 2008. [3] Nikhil Shende, ``A general purpose flow solver for Euler equations", Ph.D. Thesis, Dept. of Aerospace Engg., Indian Institute of Science, 2005.

Aquesta tesi proposa una millora del clàssic mètode dels elements finits (finite element method, FEM) per a un tractament eficient de dominis amb contorns corbs: el denominat NURBS-enhanced finite element method (NEFEM). Aquesta millora permet descriure de manera exacta la geometría mitjançant la seva representació del contorn CAD amb non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS), mentre que la solució s'aproxima amb la interpolació polinòmica estàndard. Per tant, en la major part del domini, la interpolació i la integració numèrica són estàndard, retenint les propietats de convergència clàssiques del FEM i facilitant l'acoblament amb els elements interiors. Només es requereixen estratègies específiques per realitzar la interpolació i la integració numèrica en elements afectats per la descripció del contorn mitjançant NURBS.La implementació i aplicació de NEFEM a problemes que requereixen una descripció acurada del contorn són, també, objectius prioritaris d'aquesta tesi. Per exemple, la solució numèrica de les equacions de Maxwell és molt sensible a la descripció geomètrica. Es presenta l'aplicació de NEFEM a problemes d'scattering d'ones electromagnètiques amb una formulació de Galerkin discontinu. S'investiga l'habilitat de NEFEM per obtenir solucions precises amb malles grolleres i aproximacions d'alt ordre, i s'exploren les possibilitats de les anomenades malles NEFEM, amb elements que contenen singularitats dintre d'una cara o aresta d'un element. Utilitzant NEFEM, la mida de la malla no està controlada per la complexitat de la geometria. Això implica una dràstica diferència en la mida dels elements i, per tant, suposa un gran estalvi tant des del punt de vista de requeriments de memòria com de cost computacional. Per tant, NEFEM és una eina poderosa per la simulació de problemes tridimensionals a gran escala amb geometries complexes. D'altra banda, la simulació de problemes d'scattering d'ones electromagnètiques requereix mecanismes per aconseguir una absorció eficient de les ones scattered. En aquesta tesi es discuteixen, optimitzen i comparen dues tècniques en el context de mètodes de Galerkin discontinu amb aproximacions d'alt ordre.La resolució numèrica de les equacions d'Euler de la dinàmica de gasos és també molt sensible a la representació geomètrica. Quan es considera una formulació de Galerkin discontinu i elements isoparamètrics lineals, una producció espúria d'entropia pot evitar la convergència cap a la solució correcta. Amb NEFEM, l'acurada imposició de la condició de contorn en contorns impenetrables proporciona resultats precisos inclús amb una aproximació lineal de la solució. A més, la representació exacta del contorn permet una imposició adequada de les condicions de contorn amb malles grolleres i graus d'interpolació alts. Una propietat atractiva de la implementació proposada és que moltes de les rutines usuals en un codi d'elements finits poden ser aprofitades, per exemple rutines per realitzar el càlcul de les matrius elementals, assemblatge, etc. Només és necessari implementar noves rutines per calcular les quadratures numèriques en elements corbs i emmagatzemar el valor de les funciones de forma en els punts d'integració. S'han proposat vàries tècniques d'elements finits corbs a la literatura. En aquesta tesi, es compara NEFEM amb altres tècniques populars d'elements finits corbs (isoparamètics, cartesians i p-FEM), des de tres punts de vista diferents: aspectes teòrics, implementació i eficiència numèrica. En els exemples numèrics, NEFEM és, com a mínim, un ordre de magnitud més precís comparat amb altres tècniques. A més, per una precisió desitjada NEFEM és també més eficient: necessita un 50% dels graus de llibertat que fan servir els elements isoparamètrics o p-FEM per aconseguir la mateixa precisió. Per tant, l'ús de NEFEM és altament recomanable en presència de contorns corbs i/o quan el contorn té detalls geomètrics complexes. / This thesis proposes an improvement of the classical finite element method (FEM) for an efficient treatment of curved boundaries: the NURBSenhanced FEM (NEFEM). It is able to exactly represent the geometry by means of the usual CAD boundary representation with non-uniform rational Bsplines (NURBS), while the solution is approximated with a standard piecewise polynomial interpolation. Therefore, in the vast majority of the domain, interpolation and numerical integration are standard, preserving the classical finite element (FE) convergence properties, and allowing a seamless coupling with standard FEs on the domain interior. Specifically designed polynomial interpolation and numerical integration are designed only for those elements affected by the NURBS boundary representation.The implementation and application of NEFEM to problems demanding an accurate boundary representation are also primary goals of this thesis. For instance, the numerical solution of Maxwell's equations is highly sensitive to geometry description. The application of NEFEM to electromagnetic scattering problems using a discontinuous Galerkin formulation is presented. The ability of NEFEM to compute an accurate solution with coarse meshes and high-order approximations is investigated, and the possibilities of NEFEM meshes, with elements containing edge or corner singularities, are explored. With NEFEM, the mesh size is no longer subsidiary to geometry complexity, and depends only on the accuracy requirements on the solution, whereas standard FEs require mesh refinement to properly capture the geometry. This implies a drastic difference in mesh size that results in drastic memory savings, and also important savings in computational cost. Thus, NEFEM is a powerful tool for large-scale scattering simulations with complex geometries in three dimensions. Another key issue in the numerical solution of electromagnetic scattering problems is using a mechanism to perform the absorption of outgoing waves. Two perfectly matched layers are discussed, optimized and compared in a high-order discontinuous Galerkin framework.The numerical solution of Euler equations of gas dynamics is also very sensitive to geometry description. Using a discontinuous Galerkin formulation and linear isoparametric elements, a spurious entropy production may prevent convergence to the correct solution. With NEFEM, the exact imposition of the solid wall boundary condition provides accurate results even with a linear approximation of the solution. Furthermore, the exact boundary representation allows using coarse meshes, but ensuring the proper implementation of the solid wall boundary condition. An attractive feature of the proposed implementation is that the usual routines of a standard FE code can be directly used, namely routines for the computation of elemental matrices and vectors, assembly, etc. It is only necessary to implement new routines for the computation of numerical quadratures in curved elements and to store the value of shape functions at integration points. Several curved FE techniques have been proposed in the literature. In this thesis, NEFEM is compared with some popular curved FE techniques (namely isoparametric FEs, cartesian FEs and p-FEM), from three different perspectives: theoretical aspects, implementation and performance. In every example shown, NEFEM is at least one order of magnitude more accurate compared to other techniques. Moreover, for a desired accuracy NEFEM is also computationally more efficient. In some examples, NEFEM needs only 50% of the number of degrees of freedom required by isoparametric FEs or p-FEM. Thus, the use of NEFEM is strongly recommended in the presence of curved boundaries and/or when the boundary of the domain has complex geometric details.

Least-squares finite element method (LSFEM) is employed to simulate 2-D and axisymmetric flows governed by the compressible Euler equations. Least-squares formulation brings many advantages over classical Galerkin finite element methods. For non-self-adjoint systems, LSFEM result in symmetric positive-definite matrices which can be solved efficiently by iterative methods. Additionally, with a unified formulation it can work in all flight regimes from subsonic to supersonic. Another advantage is that, the method does not require artificial viscosity since it is naturally diffusive which also appears as a difficulty for sharply resolving high gradients in the flow field such as shock waves. This problem is dealt by employing adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) on triangular meshes. LSFEM with AMR technique is numerically tested with various flow problems and good agreement with the available data in literature is seen.

Flame-holding in a recessed cavity is investigated experimentally in a Mach 2.5 preheated cross-flow for both stable and unstable combustion, with a relatively low preheating. Self-sustained combustion is investigated for stagnation pressures and temperatures reaching 1.4 MPa and 750 K. In particular, cavity blowout is characterized with respect to cavity aspect ratio (L/D =2.84 - 3.84), injection strategy (floor - ramp), aft ramp angle (90 deg - 22.5 deg) and multi-fuel mixture (CH₄-H₂ or CH₄-C₂H₄ blends). The results show that small hydrogen addition to methane leads to significant increase in flame stability, whereas ethylene addition has a more gradual effect. Since the multi-fuels used here are composed of a slow and a fast chemistry fuel, the resulting blowout region has a slow (methane dominant) and a fast (hydrogen or ethylene dominant) branch. Regardless of the fuel composition, the pressure at blowout is close to the non-reacting pressure imposed by the cross-flow, suggesting that combustion becomes potentially unsustainable in the cavity at the sub-atmospheric pressures encountered in these supersonic studies. The effect of preheating is also investigated and results show that the stability domain broadens with increasing stagnation temperature. However, smaller cavities appear less sensitive to the cross-flow preheating, and stable combustion is achieved over a smaller range of fuel flow rate, which may be the result of limited residence and mixing time. The blowout data point obtained at lower fuel flow rate fairly matches the empirical model developed by Rasmussen et al. for floor injection phi = 0.0028 Da^-.8, where phi is the equivalence ratio and Da the Damkohler number. An alternate model is proposed here that takes into account the ignition to scale the blowout data. Since the mass of air entrained into the cavity cannot be accurately estimated and the cavity temperature is only approximated from the wall temperature, the proposed scaling has some uncertainty. Nevertheless the new phi-Da scaling is shown to preserve the subtleties of the blowout trends as seen in the current experimental data.