For problems governed by a non-normal operator, the leading eigenvalue of the operator is of limited interest and a more relevant measure of the stability is obtained by considering the harmonic forcing causing the largest system response. Various methods for determining this so-called optimal forcing exist, but they all suffer from great computational expense and are hence not practical for large-scale problems. In the present paper a new method is presented, which is applicable to problems of arbitrary size. The method does not rely on timestepping, but on the solution of linear systems, in which the inverse Laplacian acts as a preconditioner. By formulating the search for the optimal forcing as an eigenvalue problem based on the resolvent operator, repeated system solves amount to power iterations, in which the dominant eigenvalue is seen to correspond to the energy amplification in a system for a given frequency, and the eigenfunction to the corresponding forcing function. Implementation of the method requires only minor modifications of an existing timestepping code, and is applicable to any partial differential equation containing the Laplacian, such as the Navier-Stokes equations. We discuss the method, first, in the context of the linear Ginzburg-Landau equation and then, the two-dimensional lid-driven cavity flow governed by the Navier-Stokes equations. Most importantly, we demonstrate that for the lid-driven cavity, the optimal forcing can be computed using a factor of up to 500 times fewer operator evaluations than the standard method based on exponential timestepping.

Numerical instability may occur when simulating high Reynolds number flows by the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The multiple-relaxation-time (MRT) model of the LBM can improve the accuracy and stability, but is still subject to numerical instability when simulating flows with large single-grid Reynolds number (Reynolds number/grid number). The viscosity counteracting approach proposed recently is a method of enhancing the stability of the LBM. However, its effectiveness was only verified in the single-relaxation-time model of the LBM (SRT-LBM). This paper aims to propose the viscosity counteracting approach for the multiple-relaxation-time model (MRT-LBM) and analyze its numerical characteristics. The verification is conducted by simulating some benchmark cases: the two-dimensional (2D) lid-driven cavity flow, Poiseuille flow, Taylor-Green vortex flow and Couette flow, and three-dimensional (3D) rectangular jet. Qualitative and Quantitative comparisons show that the viscosity counteracting approach for the MRT-LBM has better accuracy and stability than that for the SRT-LBM.

A continuation method, accompanied with a linear stability analysis, is employed to investigate the bifurcation diagram of the flow solutions, as well as the multiple flow states in a cavity with different aspect ratios for parallel motion of two facing lids. The Reynolds number proportional to the wall velocity is used as the continuation parameter, and the evolution of the bifurcation diagrams in cases with different aspect ratios is illustrated. The induced flow patterns are highly dependent upon both the aspect ratios and the moving velocity of the walls. Three different types of bifurcation diagrams and their corresponding flow states are classified according to the aspect ratios. One stable symmetric flow state and one stable asymmetric flow state are identified. The stable asymmetric flow state is obtained at a high aspect ratio and a low Reynolds number. Meanwhile, the regions of stable and unstable flows are distinguished according to the different aspect ratios.