Parallel computation of incompressible flows with complex geometries

We present our numerical methods for the solution of large-scale incompressible flow applications with complex geometries. These methods include a stabilized finite element formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations, implementation of this formulation on parallel architectures such as the Thinking Machines CM-5 and the CRAY T3D, and automatic 3D mesh generation techniques based on Delaunay-Voronoï methods for the discretization of complex domains. All three of these methods are required for the numerical simulation of most engineering applications involving fluid flow. We apply these methods to the simulation of airflow past an automobile and fluid-particle interactions. The simulation of airflow past an automobile is of very large scale with a high level of detail and yielded many interesting airflow patterns which help in understanding the aerodynamic characteristics of such vehicles.