Numerically Solving the Incompressible Euler Equations on a Moving Domain


Jonathan Serencsa
Department of Mathematics
UCSD

Abstract

While there is much work to be done in regards to numerical methods for solving fluid problems on fixed domains, constraining something so dynamic as a fluid to a fixed domain seems rather restrictive. When you visualize a moving fluid, do you picture water moving through a pipe or air flowing past a wing? No? I thought not. It is more likely that you pictured something more along the line of a 20 foot wave breaking, a rumbling river, or a glass of juice spilling off the side of the table. In order to model such examples, one must generally solve the fluid equations on a domain which evolves in time. And you thought the fixed domain case was hard! I shall briefly discuss my current methods to solve the incompressible Euler Equations on a moving domain, particularly under the influence of the forces of surface tension. There will be pictures, but a lot more complaining about the difficulties of my project.