Geometric Conservation Law and Finite Element Methods for 3-D Unsteady Simulations of Incompressible Flow

This paper takes a fresh look at the Geometric Conservation Law (GCL) from the perspective of Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) finite element methods for solving 3-D incompressible viscous flows problems on deforming domain. GCL compliance is traditionally interpreted as a consistency criterion for applying an unsteady flow solution algorithm to simulate exactly a uniform flow on a deforming domain. We introduce an additional requirement: the time integrator must maintain its fixed mesh accuracy when applied to deforming meshes. We show how a fixed mesh unsteady FEM using high order time integrator (up to fifth order in time) can be transposed to solve problems on deforming meshes and preserve its fixed mesh high order temporal accuracy. An appropriate construction of the divergence of the mesh velocity guarantees GCL compliance while a separate construction of the mesh velocity itself allows the time-integrator to deliver its fixed mesh high order temporal accuracy on deforming domains. Analytical error analysis of problems with closed form solutions provides insight on the behavior of the time integrators. We present thorough time-step and grid refinement studies for simple problems with closed form solutions and for a manufactured solution with a non-trivial flow on a deforming mesh. In all cases studied, the proposed reconstructions of the mesh velocity and its divergence lead to optimal time accuracy on deforming grids.