A high-order Petrov-Galerkin method for the Boltzmann transport equation

We describe a new Petrov-Galerkin method using high-order terms to introduce dissipation in a residual-free formulation. The method is developed following both a Taylor series analysis and a variational principle, and the result has much in common with traditional Petrov-Galerkin, Self Adjoint Angular Flux (SAAF) and Even Parity forms of the Boltzmann transport equation. In addition, we consider the subtleties in constructing appropriate boundary conditions. In sub-grid scale (SGS) modelling of fluids the advantages of high-order dissipation are well known. Fourth-order terms, for example, are commonly used as a turbulence model with uniform dissipation. They have been shown to have superior properties to SGS models based upon second-order dissipation or viscosity. Even higher-order forms of dissipation (e.g. 16.-order) can offer further advantages, but are only easily realised by spectral methods because of the solution continuity requirements that these higher-order operators demand. Higher-order operators are more effective, bringing a higher degree of representation to the solution locally. Second-order operators, for example, tend to relax the solution to a linear variation locally, whereas a high-order operator will tend to relax the solution to a second-order polynomial locally. The form of the dissipation is also important. For example, the dissipation may only be applied (as it is in this work) in the streamline direction. While for many problems, for example Large Eddy Simulation (LES), simply adding a second or fourth-order dissipation term is a perfectly satisfactory SGS model, it is well known that a consistent residual-free formulation is required for radiation transport problems. This motivated the consideration of a new Petrov-Galerkin method that is residual-free, but also benefits from the advantageous features that SGS modelling introduces. We close with a demonstration of the advantages of this new discretization method over standard Petrov-Galerkin for demanding steady-state radiation transport problems where the angular variable has been discretized using spherical harmonics. (authors)