Junction-Generalized Riemann Problem for stiff hyperbolic balance laws in networks: An implicit solver and ADER schemes

In this paper we design a new implicit solver for the Junction-Generalized Riemann Problem (J-GRP), which is based on a recently proposed implicit method for solving the Generalized Riemann Problem (GRP) for systems of hyperbolic balance laws. We use the new J-GRP solver to construct an ADER scheme that is globally explicit, locally implicit and with no theoretical accuracy barrier, in both space and time. The resulting ADER scheme is able to deal with stiff source terms and can be applied to non-linear systems of hyperbolic balance laws in domains consisting on networks of one-dimensional sub-domains. In this paper we specifically apply the numerical techniques to networks of blood vessels. We report on a test problem with exact solution for a simplified network of three vessels meeting at a single junction, which is then used to carry out a systematic convergence rate study of the proposed high-order numerical methods. Schemes up to fifth order of accuracy in space and time are implemented and tested. We then show the ability of the ADER scheme to deal with stiff sources through a numerical simulation in a network of vessels. An application to a physical test problem consisting of a network of 37 compliant silicon tubes (arteries) and 21 junctions, reveals that it is imperative to use high-order methods at junctions, in order to preserve the desired high order of accuracy in the full computational domain. For example, it is demonstrated that a second-order method throughout, gives comparable results to a method that is fourth order in the interior of the domain and first order at junctions.