Partitioning and Coupling of Multi-Physics PDE Simulations
Prof. Miriam Mehl (University of Stuttgart; Germany)
Partitioned approaches for PDE based multi-physics simulation means couple existing programs (solvers) capable of simulating a subpart of the complete physics involved in a simulation. This allows for the high flexibility that is needed to keep a decent time-to-solution for complex multi-physics scenarios. Core ingredients of the coupling are methods for transient equation coupling, communication means, and data mapping schemes. We present a variety of examples where we apply a partitioned simulation approach bridging various types of incompatibilities between the subparts. For all applications, we use preCICE, our open-source software to realize the actual coupling. For preCICE, ready-to-use adapters for well-known commercial and open-source solvers, such as OpenFOAM, SU2, or CalculiX, are available. Adapters for in-house codes can be implemented and validated in only a few weeks.
Based on our application examples, we present the general concept and functionality of preCICE including consistent partitioned time-stepping, iterative interface solvers for implicit coupling, data mapping, and communication.