A reduced order model formulation for left atrium flow: an atrial fibrillation case.

A data-driven reduced order model (ROM) based on a proper orthogonal decomposition-radial basis function (POD-RBF) approach is adopted in this paper for the analysis of blood flow dynamics in a patient-specific case of atrial fibrillation (AF). The full order model (FOM) is represented by incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, discretized with a finite volume (FV) approach. Both the Newtonian and the Casson's constitutive laws are employed. The aim is to build a computational tool able to efficiently and accurately reconstruct the patterns of relevant hemodynamics indices related to the stasis of the blood in a physical parametrization framework including the cardiac output in the Newtonian case and also the plasma viscosity and the hematocrit in the non-Newtonian one. Many FOM-ROM comparisons are shown to analyze the performance of our approach as regards errors and computational speed-up.

Generative adversarial reduced order modelling.

In this work, we present GAROM, a new approach for reduced order modeling (ROM) based on generative adversarial networks (GANs). GANs attempt to learn to generate data with the same statistics of the underlying distribution of a dataset, using two neural networks, namely discriminator and generator. While widely applied in many areas of deep learning, little research is done on their application for ROM, i.e. approximating a high-fidelity model with a simpler one. In this work, we combine the GAN and ROM framework, introducing a data-driven generative adversarial model able to learn solutions to parametric differential equations. In the presented methodology, the discriminator is modeled as an autoencoder, extracting relevant features of the input, and a conditioning mechanism is applied to the generator and discriminator networks specifying the differential equation parameters. We show how to apply our methodology for inference, provide experimental evidence of the model generalization, and perform a convergence study of the method.

Novel methodologies for solving the inverse unsteady heat transfer problem of estimating the boundary heat flux in continuous casting molds.

In this article, we investigate the estimation of the transient mold-slab heat flux in continuous casting molds given some thermocouples measurements in the mold plates. Mathematically, we can see this problem as the estimation of a Neumann boundary condition given pointwise state observations in the interior of the domain. We formulate it in a deterministic inverse problem setting. After introducing the industrial problem, we present the mold thermal model and related assumptions. Then, we formulate the boundary heat flux estimation problem in a deterministic inverse problem setting using a sequential approach according to the sequentiality of the temperature measurements. We consider different formulations of the inverse problem. For each one, we develop novel direct methodologies exploiting a space parameterization of the heat flux and the linearity of the mold model. We construct these methods to be divided into a computationally expensive offline phase that can be computed before the process starts, and a cheaper online phase to be performed during the casting process. To conclude, we test the performance of the proposed methods in two benchmark cases.

A multifidelity approach coupling parameter space reduction and nonintrusive POD with application to structural optimization of passenger ship hulls.

Nowadays, the shipbuilding industry is facing a radical change toward solutions with a smaller environmental impact. This can be achieved with low emissions engines, optimized shape designs with lower wave resistance and noise generation, and by reducing the metal raw materials used during the manufacturing. This work focuses on the last aspect by presenting a complete structural optimization pipeline for modern passenger ship hulls which exploits advanced model order reduction techniques to reduce the dimensionality of both input parameters and outputs of interest. We introduce a novel approach which incorporates parameter space reduction through active subspaces into the proper orthogonal decomposition with interpolation method. This is done in a multi-fidelity setting. We test the whole framework on a simplified model of a midship section and on the full model of a passenger ship, controlled by 20 and 16 parameters, respectively. We present a comprehensive error analysis and show the capabilities and usefulness of the methods especially during the preliminary design phase, finding new unconsidered designs while handling high dimensional parameterizations.

Projection Based Semi-Implicit Partitioned Reduced Basis Method for Fluid-Structure Interaction Problems.

In this manuscript a POD-Galerkin based Reduced Order Model for unsteady Fluid-Structure Interaction problems is presented. The model is based on a partitioned algorithm, with semi-implicit treatment of the coupling conditions. A Chorin-Temam projection scheme is applied to the incompressible Navier-Stokes problem, and a Robin coupling condition is used for the coupling between the fluid and the solid. The coupled problem is based on an Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian formulation, and the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition procedure is used for the generation of the reduced basis. We extend existing works on a segregated Reduced Order Model for Fluid-Structure Interaction to unsteady problems that couple an incompressible, Newtonian fluid with a linear elastic solid, in two spatial dimensions. We consider three test cases to assess the overall capabilities of the method: an unsteady, non-parametrized problem, a problem that presents a geometrical parametrization of the solid domain, and finally, a problem where a parametrization of the solid's shear modulus is taken into account.

Model order reduction for bifurcating phenomena in fluid-structure interaction problems.

This work explores the development and the analysis of an efficient reduced order model for the study of a bifurcating phenomenon, known as the Coanda effect, in a multi-physics setting involving fluid and solid media. Taking into consideration a fluid-structure interaction problem, we aim at generalizing previous works towards a more reliable description of the physics involved. In particular, we provide several insights on how the introduction of an elastic structure influences the bifurcating behavior. We have addressed the computational burden by developing a reduced order branch-wise algorithm based on a monolithic proper orthogonal decomposition. We compared different constitutive relations for the solid, and we observed that a nonlinear hyper-elastic law delays the bifurcation w.r.t. the standard model, while the same effect is even magnified when considering linear elastic solid.

Non-intrusive PODI-ROM for patient-specific aortic blood flow in presence of a LVAD device.

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are used to provide haemodynamic support to patients with critical cardiac failure. Severe complications can occur because of the modifications of the blood flow in the aortic region. In this work, the effect of a continuous flow LVAD device on the aortic flow is investigated by means of a non-intrusive reduced order model (ROM) built using the proper orthogonal decomposition with interpolation (PODI) method based on radial basis functions (RBF). The full order model (FOM) is represented by the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations discretized by using a Finite Volume (FV) technique, coupled with three-element Windkessel models to enforce outlet boundary conditions in a multi-scale approach. A patient-specific framework is proposed: a personalized geometry reconstructed from Computed Tomography (CT) images is used and the individualization of the coefficients of the three-element Windkessel models is based on experimental data provided by the Right Heart Catheterization (RHC) and Echocardiography (ECHO) tests. At FOM level, we also consider the pre-surgery configuration in order to further validate the predictive capabilities of the model in several contexts. The ROM has been tested by considering a parametric setting with respect to the LVAD flow, which is a crucial parameter of the problem. We consider a parameter range that covers typical clinical values. The accuracy of the ROM is assessed against results obtained with the FOM both for primal, velocity and pressure, and derived quantities, wall shear stress (WSS). Finally, we briefly discuss the efficiency of our ROM approach.

Consistency of the full and reduced order models for evolve-filter-relax regularization of convection-dominated, marginally-resolved flows.

Numerical stabilization is often used to eliminate (alleviate) the spurious oscillations generally produced by full order models (FOMs) in under-resolved or marginally-resolved simulations of convection-dominated flows. In this article, we investigate the role of numerical stabilization in reduced order models (ROMs) of marginally-resolved, convection-dominated incompressible flows. Specifically, we investigate the FOM-ROM consistency, that is, whether the numerical stabilization is beneficial both at the FOM and the ROM level. As a numerical stabilization strategy, we focus on the evolve-filter-relax (EFR) regularization algorithm, which centers around spatial filtering. To investigate the FOM-ROM consistency, we consider two ROM strategies: (i) the EFR-noEFR, in which the EFR stabilization is used at the FOM level, but not at the ROM level; and (ii) the EFR-EFR, in which the EFR stabilization is used both at the FOM and at the ROM level. We compare the EFR-noEFR with the EFR-EFR in the numerical simulation of a 2D incompressible flow past a circular cylinder in the convection-dominated, marginally-resolved regime. We also perform model reduction with respect to both time and Reynolds number. Our numerical investigation shows that the EFR-EFR is more accurate than the EFR-noEFR, which suggests that FOM-ROM consistency is beneficial in convection-dominated, marginally-resolved flows.

Kernel-based active subspaces with application to computational fluid dynamics parametric problems using the discontinuous Galerkin method.

Nonlinear extensions to the active subspaces method have brought remarkable results for dimension reduction in the parameter space and response surface design. We further develop a kernel-based nonlinear method. In particular, we introduce it in a broader mathematical framework that contemplates also the reduction in parameter space of multivariate objective functions. The implementation is thoroughly discussed and tested on more challenging benchmarks than the ones already present in the literature, for which dimension reduction with active subspaces produces already good results. Finally, we show a whole pipeline for the design of response surfaces with the new methodology in the context of a parametric computational fluid dynamics application solved with the discontinuous Galerkin method.

An optimal control approach to determine resistance-type boundary conditions from in-vivo data for cardiovascular simulations.

The choice of appropriate boundary conditions is a fundamental step in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the cardiovascular system. Boundary conditions, in fact, highly affect the computed pressure and flow rates, and consequently haemodynamic indicators such as wall shear stress (WSS), which are of clinical interest. Devising automated procedures for the selection of boundary conditions is vital to achieve repeatable simulations. However, the most common techniques do not automatically assimilate patient-specific data, relying instead on expensive and time-consuming manual tuning procedures. In this work, we propose a technique for the automated estimation of outlet boundary conditions based on optimal control. The values of resistive boundary conditions are set as control variables and optimized to match available patient-specific data. Experimental results on four aortic arches demonstrate that the proposed framework can assimilate 4D-Flow MRI data more accurately than two other common techniques based on Murray's law and Ohm's law.

Reduced order methods for parametric optimal flow control in coronary bypass grafts, toward patient-specific data assimilation.

Coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG) surgery is an invasive procedure performed to circumvent partial or complete blood flow blockage in coronary artery disease. In this work, we apply a numerical optimal flow control model to patient-specific geometries of CABG, reconstructed from clinical images of real-life surgical cases, in parameterized settings. The aim of these applications is to match known physiological data with numerical hemodynamics corresponding to different scenarios, arisen by tuning some parameters. Such applications are an initial step toward matching patient-specific physiological data in patient-specific vascular geometries as best as possible. Two critical challenges that reportedly arise in such problems are: (a) lack of robust quantification of meaningful boundary conditions required to match known data as best as possible and (b) high computational cost. In this work, we utilize unknown control variables in the optimal flow control problems to take care of the first challenge. Moreover, to address the second challenge, we propose a time-efficient and reliable computational environment for such parameterized problems by projecting them onto a low-dimensional solution manifold through proper orthogonal decomposition-Galerkin.

Dimension reduction in heterogeneous parametric spaces with application to naval engineering shape design problems.

We present the results of the first application in the naval architecture field of a methodology based on active subspaces properties for parameter space reduction. The physical problem considered is the one of the simulation of the hydrodynamic flow past the hull of a ship advancing in calm water. Such problem is extremely relevant at the preliminary stages of the ship design, when several flow simulations are typically carried out by the engineers to assess the dependence of the hull total resistance on the geometrical parameters of the hull, and others related with flows and hull properties. Given the high number of geometric and physical parameters which might affect the total ship drag, the main idea of this work is to employ the active subspaces properties to identify possible lower dimensional structures in the parameter space. Thus, a fully automated procedure has been implemented to produce several small shape perturbations of an original hull CAD geometry, in order to exploit the resulting shapes and to run high fidelity flow simulations with different structural and physical parameters as well, and then collect data for the active subspaces analysis. The free form deformation procedure used to morph the hull shapes, the high fidelity solver based on potential flow theory with fully nonlinear free surface treatment, and the active subspaces analysis tool employed in this work have all been developed and integrated within SISSA mathLab as open source tools. The contribution will also discuss several details of the implementation of such tools, as well as the results of their application to the selected target engineering problem.

Numerical modeling of hemodynamics scenarios of patient-specific coronary artery bypass grafts.

A fast computational framework is devised to the study of several configurations of patient-specific coronary artery bypass grafts. This is especially useful to perform a sensitivity analysis of the hemodynamics for different flow conditions occurring in native coronary arteries and bypass grafts, the investigation of the progression of the coronary artery disease and the choice of the most appropriate surgical procedure. A complete pipeline, from the acquisition of patient-specific medical images to fast parameterized computational simulations, is proposed. Complex surgical configurations employed in the clinical practice, such as Y-grafts and sequential grafts, are studied. A virtual surgery platform based on model reduction of unsteady Navier-Stokes equations for blood dynamics is proposed to carry out sensitivity analyses in a very rapid and reliable way. A specialized geometrical parameterization is employed to compare the effect of stenosis and anastomosis variation on the outcome of the surgery in several relevant cases.

A reduced computational and geometrical framework for inverse problems in hemodynamics.

The solution of inverse problems in cardiovascular mathematics is computationally expensive. In this paper, we apply a domain parametrization technique to reduce both the geometrical and computational complexities of the forward problem and replace the finite element solution of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations by a computationally less-expensive reduced-basis approximation. This greatly reduces the cost of simulating the forward problem. We then consider the solution of inverse problems both in the deterministic sense, by solving a least-squares problem, and in the statistical sense, by using a Bayesian framework for quantifying uncertainty. Two inverse problems arising in hemodynamics modeling are considered: (i) a simplified fluid-structure interaction model problem in a portion of a stenosed artery for quantifying the risk of atherosclerosis by identifying the material parameters of the arterial wall on the basis of pressure measurements; (ii) a simplified femoral bypass graft model for robust shape design under uncertain residual flow in the main arterial branch identified from pressure measurements.

Simulation-based uncertainty quantification of human arterial network hemodynamics.

This work aims at identifying and quantifying uncertainties from various sources in human cardiovascular system based on stochastic simulation of a one-dimensional arterial network. A general analysis of different uncertainties and probability characterization with log-normal distribution of these uncertainties is introduced. Deriving from a deterministic one-dimensional fluid-structure interaction model, we establish the stochastic model as a coupled hyperbolic system incorporated with parametric uncertainties to describe the blood flow and pressure wave propagation in the arterial network. By applying a stochastic collocation method with sparse grid technique, we study systemically the statistics and sensitivity of the solution with respect to many different uncertainties in a relatively complete arterial network with potential physiological and pathological implications for the first time.

Model reduction techniques for fast blood flow simulation in parametrized geometries.

In this paper, we propose a new model reduction technique aimed at real-time blood flow simulations on a given family of geometrical shapes of arterial vessels. Our approach is based on the combination of a low-dimensional shape parametrization of the computational domain and the reduced basis method to solve the associated parametrized flow equations. We propose a preliminary analysis carried on a set of arterial vessel geometries, described by means of a radial basis functions parametrization. In order to account for patient-specific arterial configurations, we reconstruct the latter by solving a suitable parameter identification problem. Real-time simulation of blood flows are thus performed on each reconstructed parametrized geometry, by means of the reduced basis method. We focus on a family of parametrized carotid artery bifurcations, by modelling blood flows using Navier-Stokes equations and measuring distributed outputs such as viscous energy dissipation or vorticity. The latter are indexes that might be correlated with the assessment of pathological risks. The approach advocated here can be applied to a broad variety of (different) flow problems related with geometry/shape variation, for instance related with shape sensitivity analysis, parametric exploration and shape design.