Simulation of Cross Flow past a Tube Bank Employing an Adaptive Parallel / Vector Finite Element Procedure

The numerical simulation of complex flows demands efficient algorithms and fast computer platforms. The use of adaptive techniques permits adjusting the discretisation according to the analysis requirements, but creates variable computational loads which are difficult to manage in a parallel / vector program. This paper describes the approach we have adopted to implement an adaptive finite element incompressible Navier-Stokes solver on the Cray J98 machine. Performance measurements for the simulation of cross flow past a tube bank indicate that the techniques employed result in a fast parallel / vector code.