Application of PETSc in the Linear Solver of OpenFOAM

Open FOAM is an open-source CFD software based on finite volume method. Due to the well-designed framework, it is widely used in various fields. However, the linear system of Open FOAM is tightly coupled with the discretization grid, which brings great difficulties in extending this platform. After analyzing the discrete and linear systems of Open FOAM, we reconstruct the linear system based on the common matrix storage scheme with the interfaces provided by PETSc, which decouple the linear system with the grid. Then it is easier to develop high-order schemes and finite-element method under Open FOAM. The test results show that the linear system based on PETSc gains comparable accuracy and have advantages for computational efficiency and scalability.