An optimal control approach to adaptivity in computational fluid mechanics

We consider a typical design cycle in computational fluid mechanics: First, an output value such as the drag coefficient is computed. Then, this value is optimized by varying certain control parameters. Finally, the stability of the resulting optimized flow is analysed. For each of these tasks, we derive a posteriori error estimators within a uniform framework based on the optimal control approach described in Becker and Rannacher (Acta Numerica, Iserles A (ed.). CUP: Cambridge, 2001; 1). These estimators are used for adaptive mesh refinement in order to increase the accuracy upto a given tolerance. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.