A Conservative Hybrid Eulerian-Lagrangian Method with Persistent Structure Tracking for Multiscale Cavitation

Abstract

Hybrid Eulerian Lagrangian methods for multiscale cavitation represent grid resolved vapor structures in an Eulerian formulation and unresolved bubbles in a Lagrangian description, requiring transitions between the two representations as structures evolve. Existing approaches typically treat these transitions as local geometric operations, while resolved structures are identified independently at each time step, limiting the use of temporal history in representation changes. This work presents a conservative hybrid Eulerian Lagrangian framework with embedded, on the fly persistent structure tracking. Resolved vapor structures are detected using connected component labeling and reconciled across processor boundaries through a deterministic parallel procedure. Successive observations are associated using physics informed predictions of structure position and size, maintaining persistent identities and histories through birth, death, breakup, coalescence, and representation transitions. The retained history enables history aware Eulerian to Lagrangian transition criteria and initialization of Lagrangian bubbles with the radius and radius rate information required by the bubble dynamics model. Conservative bidirectional transfer operators preserve vapor mass and linear momentum while preventing simultaneous representation of the same vapor volume. Canonical tests verify persistent tracking through fragmentation, coalescence, and close crossings, repeated representation switching, conservation of mass and momentum, and deterministic parallel behavior.