Construction of solution curves for large two-dimensional problems of steady-state flows of incompressible fluids

This work represents a step toward advancing classical methods of bifurcation analysis in conjunction with very large-scale scientific computing needed to model realistically processes which involve laminar and steady flows of incompressible fluids. A robust method of analysis based on pseudoarclength continuation, Newton's method, and direct solution of linear systems is proposed and applied to the analysis of a representative system of fluid mechanics, namely the tilted lid driven cavity. Accurate solution curves, possessing simple singular points, were computed for Reynolds numbers varying from 0 to 10,000 and for different angles of tilt. The results demonstrate that two-dimensional models with up to 1,000,000 algebraic equations can be studied feasibly using the methods described here with state-of-the-art vector supercomputers.