Vortex design problem

Bartosz Protas
2012 Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics  
In this investigation we propose a computational approach for the solution of optimal control problems for vortex systems with compactly supported vorticity. The problem is formulated as a PDE-constrained optimization in which the solutions are found using a gradient-based descent method. Recognizing such Euler flows as free-boundary problems, the proposed approach relies on shape differentiation combined with adjoint analysis to determine cost functional gradients. In explicit tracking of
more » ... faces (vortex boundaries) this method offers an alternative to grid-based techniques, such as the level-set methods, and represents a natural optimization formulation for vortex problems computed using the contour dynamics technique. We develop and validate this approach using the design of 2D equilibrium Euler flows with finite-area vortices as a model problem. It is also discussed how the proposed methodology can be applied to Euler flows featuring other vorticity distributions, such as vortex sheets, and to time-dependent phenomena.
doi:10.1016/j.cam.2011.11.002 fatcat:yd4e262wv5afvdc5fn6s2vbb2y