Velocity field estimates and three-dimensional discrete vortex methods (Q1100951)

A general three-dimensional vortex-in-cell algorithm is presented. The algorithm uses vortex spreading and velocity interpolation techniques which are performed in real space. This allows the use of an efficient and portable solver for the elliptic boundary value problem that is a result of the formulation. The trade-off that is made is that the representation of the velocity field used to update the position of the vortex markers becomes a sensitive issue. This is illustrated through a number of numerical examples and suggestions are made for the improvement of the velocity field representation.