Search for: All records

In uncertainty quantification, it is commonly required to solve a forward model consisting of a partial differential equation (PDE) with a spatially varying uncertain coefficient that is represented as an affine function of a set of random variables, or parameters. Discretizing such models using stochastic Galerkin finite element methods (SGFEMs) leads to very high-dimensional discrete problems that can be cast as linear multi-term matrix equations (LMTMEs). We develop efficient computational methods for approximating solutions of such matrix equations in low rank. To do this, we follow an alternating energy minimization (AEM) framework, wherein the solution is represented as a product of two matrices, and approximations to each component are sought by solving certain minimization problems repeatedly. Inspired by proper generalized decomposition methods, the iterative solution algorithms we present are based on a rank-adaptive variant of AEM methods that successively computes a rank-one solution component at each step. We introduce and evaluate new enhancement procedures to improve the accuracy of the approximations these algorithms deliver. The efficiency and accuracy of the enhanced AEM methods is demonstrated through numerical experiments with LMTMEs associated with SGFEM discretizations of parameterized linear elliptic PDEs. 

In magnetic confinement fusion devices, the equilibrium configuration of a plasma is determined by the balance between the hydrostatic pressure in the fluid and the magnetic forces generated by an array of external coils and the plasma itself. The location of the plasma is not known a priori and must be obtained as the solution to a free boundary problem. The partial differential equation that determines the behavior of the combined magnetic field depends on a set of physical parameters (location of the coils, intensity of the electric currents going through them, magnetic permeability, etc.) that are subject to uncertainty and variability. The confinement region is in turn a function of these stochastic parameters as well. In this work, we consider variations on the current intensities running through the external coils as the dominant source of uncertainty. This leads to a parameter space of dimension equal to the number of coils in the reactor. With the aid of a surrogate function built on a sparse grid in parameter space, a Monte Carlo strategy is used to explore the effect that stochasticity in the parameters has on important features of the plasma boundary such as the location of the x-point, the strike points, and shaping attributes such as triangularity and elongation. The use of the surrogate function reduces the time required for the Monte Carlo simulations by factors that range between 7 and over 30.