Estimation of Uncertainties and Significant Parameters of SPH Models

Based on Sloshing-Tank Validation Data

Emerald RYAN1, Matthieu ANDRE2, Niels MONTANARI3,

Steven PRESCOTT1, Philippe BARDET2, Ramprasad SAMPATH3, Linyu LIN4
1
Idaho National Laboratory, ID, USA, 2Georges Washington University, DC, USA
3
Centroid LAB, CA, USA, 4North Carolina State University, NC, USA

Abstract: Assessing a simulation code is a necessary step for both validating and refining the underlying
numerical model for a target application, particularly one which requires uncertainty bounding, such as in
risk analysis. SPH models have numerous numerical parameters affecting their accuracy, reliability, and
computational performance: particle size, ratio of interaction-radius to particle-size, artificial viscosity
coefficient, etc. Calibrating these parameters and assessing their sensitivities require high-quality
validation data, with low and well-characterized uncertainties, to compare against. Additionally, the
space of potentially relevant parameter values is large, and parameters are possibly correlating.

We propose to improve and ease this cumbersome calibration step by leveraging a tool called Risk
Analysis Virtual Environment (RAVEN), which incorporates advanced sampling and model-parameter
optimization methods. Using the newly designed, large-scale sloshing tank of George Washington
University, we produced high-quality experimental validation data, including wave-impact pressures and
wave-surface profiles. We reproduced numerically the experiment using an incompressible SPH solver in
the Neutrino code, then assessed the discrepancy and accuracy errors by comparing to the experimental
data (cf. Figure 1). Finally, we assessed the significance of several SPH model parameters using RAVEN.
Restricting the optimization problem to the space of significant parameters makes it possible to
significantly speed up the estimation of a set of optimal values.

Figure 1 — Simulated SPH fluid particles superimposed to a picture of the experiment (top). Phase-averaged
50% and 90% bands for experimental data (blue, red) and simulation data (green) of wall pressure over the
duration of a sloshing cycle (bottom).