The modeling of nuclear reactors involves the solution of a multi-physics problem with widely varying time and length scales. This translates mathematically to solving a system of coupled, non-linear, and stiff partial differential equations (PDEs). Multi-physics applications possess the added complexity that most of the solution fields participate in various physics components, potentially yielding spatial and/or temporal coupling errors. This dissertation deals with the verification aspects associated with such a multi-physics code, i.e., the substantiation that the mathematical description of the multi-physics equations are solved correctly (both in time and space). Conventional paradigms used in reactor analysis problems employed to couple various physics components are often non-iterative and can be inconsistent in their treatment of the non-linear terms. This leads to the usage of smaller time steps to maintain stability and accuracy requirements, thereby increasing the overall computational time for simulation. The inconsistencies of these weakly coupled solution methods can be overcome using tighter coupling strategies and yield a better approximation to the coupled non-linear operator, by resolving the dominant spatial and temporal scales involved in the multi-physics simulation. A multi-physics framework, KARMA (K(c)ode for Analysis of Reactor and other Multi-physics Applications), is presented. KARMA uses tight coupling strategies for various physical models based on a Matrix-free Nonlinear-Krylov (MFNK) framework in order to attain high-order spatio-temporal accuracy for all solution fields in amenable wall clock times, for various test problems. The framework also utilizes traditional loosely coupled methods as lower-order solvers, which serve as efficient preconditioners for the tightly coupled solution. Since the software platform employs both lower and higher-order coupling strategies, it can easily be used to test and evaluate different coupling strategies and numerical methods and to compare their efficiency for problems of interest. Multi-physics code verification efforts pertaining to reactor applications are described and associated numerical results obtained using the developed multi-physics framework are provided. The versatility of numerical methods used here for coupled problems and feasibility of general non-linear solvers with appropriate physics-based preconditioners in the KARMA framework offer significantly efficient techniques to solve multi-physics problems in reactor analysis.

La simulation numérique de systèmes d’équations différentielles raides ordinaires ou algébriques est devenue partie intégrante dans le processus de conception des systèmes mécaniques à dynamiques complexes. L’objet de ce travail est de développer des méthodes numériques pour réduire les temps de calcul par le parallélisme en suivant deux axes : interne à l’intégrateur numérique, et au niveau de la décomposition de l’intervalle de temps. Nous montrons l’efficacité limitée au nombre d’étapes de la parallélisation à travers les méthodes de Runge-Kutta et DIMSIM. Nous développons alors une méthodologie pour appliquer le complément de Schur sur le système linéarisé intervenant dans les intégrateurs par l’introduction d’un masque de dépendance construit automatiquement lors de la mise en équations du modèle. Finalement, nous étendons le complément de Schur aux méthodes de type "Krylov Matrix Free". La décomposition en temps est d’abord vue par la résolution globale des pas de temps dont nous traitons la parallélisation du solveur non-linéaire (point fixe, Newton-Krylov et accélération de Steffensen). Nous introduisons les méthodes de tirs à deux niveaux, comme Parareal et Pita dont nous redéfinissons les finesses de grilles pour résoudre les problèmes raides pour lesquels leur efficacité parallèle est limitée. Les estimateurs de l’erreur globale, nous permettent de construire une extension parallèle de l’extrapolation de Richardson pour remplacer le premier niveau de calcul. Et nous proposons une parallélisation de la méthode de correction du résidu. / This PhD Thesis deals with the development of parallel numerical methods for solving Ordinary and Algebraic Differential Equations. ODE and DAE are commonly arising when modeling complex dynamical phenomena. We first show that the parallelization across the method is limited by the number of stages of the RK method or DIMSIM. We introduce the Schur complement into the linearised linear system of time integrators. An automatic framework is given to build a mask defining the relationships between the variables. Then the Schur complement is coupled with Jacobian Free Newton-Krylov methods. As time decomposition, global time steps resolutions can be solved by parallel nonlinear solvers (such as fixed point, Newton and Steffensen acceleration). Two steps time decomposition (Parareal, Pita,...) are developed with a new definition of their grids to solved stiff problems. Global error estimates, especially the Richardson extrapolation, are used to compute a good approximation for the second grid. Finally we propose a parallel deferred correction

La simulation numérique de systèmes d'équations différentielles raides ordinaires ou algébriques est devenue partie intégrante dans le processus de conception des systèmes mécaniques à dynamiques complexes. L'objet de ce travail est de développer des méthodes numériques pour réduire les temps de calcul par le parallélisme en suivant deux axes : interne à l'intégrateur numérique, et au niveau de la décomposition de l'intervalle de temps. Nous montrons l'efficacité limitée au nombre d'étapes de la parallélisation à travers les méthodes de Runge-Kutta et DIMSIM. Nous développons alors une méthodologie pour appliquer le complément de Schur sur le système linéarisé intervenant dans les intégrateurs par l'introduction d'un masque de dépendance construit automatiquement lors de la mise en équations du modèle. Finalement, nous étendons le complément de Schur aux méthodes de type "Krylov Matrix Free". La décomposition en temps est d'abord vue par la résolution globale des pas de temps dont nous traitons la parallélisation du solveur non-linéaire (point fixe, Newton-Krylov et accélération de Steffensen). Nous introduisons les méthodes de tirs à deux niveaux, comme Parareal et Pita dont nous redéfinissons les finesses de grilles pour résoudre les problèmes raides pour lesquels leur efficacité parallèle est limitée. Les estimateurs de l'erreur globale, nous permettent de construire une extension parallèle de l'extrapolation de Richardson pour remplacer le premier niveau de calcul. Et nous proposons une parallélisation de la méthode de correction du résidu.

The objective of this PhD research programme is to investigate the effectiveness of a finite volume method incorporating radial basis functions for simulating nonlinear transport processes. The finite volume method is the favoured numerical technique for solving the advection-diffusion equations that arise in transport simulation. The method transforms the original problem into a system of nonlinear, algebraic equations through the process of discretisation. The accuracy of this discretisation determines to a large extent the accuracy of the final solution. A new method of discretisation is presented that employs radial basis functions (rbfs) as a means of local interpolation. When combined with Gaussian quadrature integration methods, the resulting finite volume discretisation leads to accurate numerical solutions without the need for very fine meshes, and the additional overheads they entail. The resulting nonlinear, algebraic system is solved efficiently using a Jacobian-free Newton-Krylov method. By employing the new method as an extension of existing shape function-based approaches, the number of nonlinear iterations required to obtain convergence can be reduced. Furthermore, information obtained from these iterations can be used to increase the efficiency of subsequent rbf-based iterations, as well as to construct an effective parallel reconditioner to further reduce the number of nonlinear iterations required. Results are presented that demonstrate the improved accuracy offered by the new method when applied to several test problems. By successively refining the meshes, it is also possible to demonstrate the increased order of the new method, when compared to a traditional shape function basedmethod. Comparing the resources required for both methods reveals that the new approach can be many times more efficient at producing a solution of a given accuracy.

Sea ice plays a key role in the global climate system. Indeed, through the albedo effect it reflects significant solar radiation away from the oceans, while it also plays a key role in the momentum and heat transfer between the atmosphere and ocean by acting as an insulating layer between the two. Furthermore, as more sea ice melts due to climate change, additional fresh water is released into the upper oceans, affecting the global circulation of the ocean as a whole. While there has been significant effort in recent decades, the ability to simulate sea ice has lagged behind other components of the climate system and most Earth System Models fail to capture the observed losses of Arctic sea ice, which is largely attributed to our inability to resolve sea ice dynamics. The most widely accepted model for sea ice dynamics is the Viscous- Plastic (VP) rheology, which leads to a very non-linear set of partial differential equations that are known to be intrinsically difficult to solve numerically. This work builds on recent advances in solving these equations with a Jacobian-Free Newton- Krylov (JFNK) solver. We present an improved JFNK solver, where a fully second order discretization is achieved via the Crank Nicolson scheme and consistency is improved via a novel approach to the rheology term. More importantly, we present a significant improvement to the Jacobian approximation used in the Newton iterations, and partially form the action of the matrix by expressing the linear and nearly linear terms in closed form and approximating the remaining highly non-linear term with a second order approximation of its Gateaux derivative. This is in contrast with the previous approach which used a first order approximation for the Gateaux derivative of the whole functional. Numerical tests on synthetic equations confirm the theoretical convergence rate and demonstrate the drastic improvements seen by using a second order approximation in the Gateaux derivative. To produce a fast and efficient solver for VP sea ice dynamics, the improved JFNK solver is then coupled with a non- oscillatory, central differencing scheme for transporting sea ice as well as a novel method for tracking the ice domain using a level set method. Two idealized test cases are then presented and simulation results discussed, demonstrating the solver’s ability to efficiently produce Viscous-Plastic, physically motivated solutions. / Graduate

[pt] Neste trabalho focamos sobre alguns modelos matemáticos na área do petróleo, com o objetivo de propor um modelo inicial de simulador numérico de reservatórios. Inicialmente apresentamos uma EDP do calor não-linear com um termo fonte de calor constante, estudada para o domínio sendo uma placa plana quadrada homogênea e heterogênea, onde aplicamos soluções numéricas utilizando o método das diferenças finitas implícito. Abordamos o problema de refinamento da malha no entorno dos poços utilizando o método JFNK (Jacobian-Free Newton-Krylov), que aumenta a eficiência computacional através de uma aproximação para a matriz Jacobiana. Por fim resolvemos um sistema de EDPs não-lineares que representam o escoamento bifásico de água e óleo, constituído por equações de transporte em termos da pressão e da saturação. Fizemos simulações numéricas de alguns casos conhecidos e os resultados mostraram uma boa qualidade no nosso método. / [en] In this work we focus on the numerical approximation of some mathematical models in the oil field. First, we present a non-linear heat equation with a constant heat source term, studied for the domain of a homogeneous and heterogeneous square domain, where we apply numerical solutions using an implicit finite difference method. We approach the problem of mesh refinement around the wells using the JFNK (Jacobian- Free Newton-Krylov) method, which improves the computational efficiency through an approximation to the Jacobian matrix. Finally, we solve a system of non-linear EDPs that represent the two-phase flow of water and oil, consisting of equations of transport in terms of pressure and saturation. Numerical simulations for some known cases showed accurate approximation of our method.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O desenvolvimento de software livre de Jacobiana para a resolução de problemas formulados por equações diferenciais parciais não-lineares é de interesse crescente para simular processos práticos de engenharia. Este trabalho utiliza o chamado algoritmo espectral livre de derivada para equações não-lineares na simulação de fluxos em meios porosos. O modelo aqui considerado é aquele empregado para descrever o deslocamento do fluido compressível miscível em meios porosos com fontes e sumidouros, onde a densidade da mistura de fluidos varia exponencialmente com a pressão. O algoritmo espectral utilizado é um método moderno para a solução de sistemas não-lineares de grande porte, o que não resolve sistemas lineares, nem usa qualquer informação explícita associados com a matriz Jacobiana, sendo uma abordagem livre de Jacobiana. Problemas bidimensionais são apresentados, juntamente com os resultados numéricos comparando o algoritmo espectral com um método de Newton inexato livre de Jacobiana. Os resultados deste trabalho mostram que este algoritmo espectral moderno é um método confiável e eficiente para a simulação de escoamentos compressíveis em meios porosos. / The development of Jacobian-free software for solving problems formulated by nonlinear partial differential equations is of increasing interest to simulate practical engineering processes. This work uses the so-called derivative-free spectral algorithm for nonlinear equations in the simulation of flows in porous media. The model considered here is the one employed to describe the displacement of miscible compressible fluid in porous media with point sources and sinks, where the density of the fluid mixture varies exponentially with the pressure. The spectral algorithm used is a modern method for solving large-scale nonlinear systems, which does not solve linear systems, nor use any explicit information associated with the Jacobin matrix, being a Jacobian-free approach. Two dimensional problems are presented, along with numerical results comparing the spectral algorithm to a well-developed Jacobian-free inexact Newton method. The results of this paper show that this modern spectral algorithm is a reliable and efficient method for simulation of compressible flows in porous media.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O desenvolvimento de software livre de Jacobiana para a resolução de problemas formulados por equações diferenciais parciais não-lineares é de interesse crescente para simular processos práticos de engenharia. Este trabalho utiliza o chamado algoritmo espectral livre de derivada para equações não-lineares na simulação de fluxos em meios porosos. O modelo aqui considerado é aquele empregado para descrever o deslocamento do fluido compressível miscível em meios porosos com fontes e sumidouros, onde a densidade da mistura de fluidos varia exponencialmente com a pressão. O algoritmo espectral utilizado é um método moderno para a solução de sistemas não-lineares de grande porte, o que não resolve sistemas lineares, nem usa qualquer informação explícita associados com a matriz Jacobiana, sendo uma abordagem livre de Jacobiana. Problemas bidimensionais são apresentados, juntamente com os resultados numéricos comparando o algoritmo espectral com um método de Newton inexato livre de Jacobiana. Os resultados deste trabalho mostram que este algoritmo espectral moderno é um método confiável e eficiente para a simulação de escoamentos compressíveis em meios porosos. / The development of Jacobian-free software for solving problems formulated by nonlinear partial differential equations is of increasing interest to simulate practical engineering processes. This work uses the so-called derivative-free spectral algorithm for nonlinear equations in the simulation of flows in porous media. The model considered here is the one employed to describe the displacement of miscible compressible fluid in porous media with point sources and sinks, where the density of the fluid mixture varies exponentially with the pressure. The spectral algorithm used is a modern method for solving large-scale nonlinear systems, which does not solve linear systems, nor use any explicit information associated with the Jacobin matrix, being a Jacobian-free approach. Two dimensional problems are presented, along with numerical results comparing the spectral algorithm to a well-developed Jacobian-free inexact Newton method. The results of this paper show that this modern spectral algorithm is a reliable and efficient method for simulation of compressible flows in porous media.