aPriori: a Python package to process direct numerical simulations

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Piu, Lorenzo, Pitsch, Heinz, Parente, Alessandro
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Piu, Lorenzo
Pitsch, Heinz
Parente, Alessandro
author_facet Piu, Lorenzo
Pitsch, Heinz
Parente, Alessandro
contents In the field of computational fluid dynamics, direct numerical simulations generate highly detailed data for the analysis of turbulent flows by resolving all relevant physical scales. Yet their large size, complexity, and heterogeneity make systematic post-processing and data reuse increasingly challenging. Despite the growing availability of high-fidelity simulations through public repositories, extracting meaningful physical insight often requires substantial technical effort, specialized workflows, and access to high-performance computing resources. In this article we introduce \texttt{aPriori}, an open-source Python package developed to address these limitations by providing a dedicated, memory-efficient, and user-oriented framework for the analysis of direct numerical simulation data. The software enables streamlined handling of three-dimensional fields, including filtering, scale separation, gradient evaluation, thermochemical analysis, and visualization, using concise and reproducible scripts. Its pointer-based data management strategy allows very large datasets to be processed on standard workstations without excessive memory usage, significantly lowering the barrier to advanced analysis. Beyond basic post-processing, \texttt{aPriori} supports workflows central to modern turbulence and combustion research, such as a priori model assessment, data-driven closure development, and detailed chemical analyses that include computational singular perturbation. By unifying these capabilities within a coherent and extensible software architecture, \texttt{aPriori} enhances productivity, promotes reproducibility, and facilitates broader and more effective use of high-fidelity simulation data within the computational fluid dynamics community.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_24363
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle aPriori: a Python package to process direct numerical simulations
Piu, Lorenzo
Pitsch, Heinz
Parente, Alessandro
Fluid Dynamics
In the field of computational fluid dynamics, direct numerical simulations generate highly detailed data for the analysis of turbulent flows by resolving all relevant physical scales. Yet their large size, complexity, and heterogeneity make systematic post-processing and data reuse increasingly challenging. Despite the growing availability of high-fidelity simulations through public repositories, extracting meaningful physical insight often requires substantial technical effort, specialized workflows, and access to high-performance computing resources. In this article we introduce \texttt{aPriori}, an open-source Python package developed to address these limitations by providing a dedicated, memory-efficient, and user-oriented framework for the analysis of direct numerical simulation data. The software enables streamlined handling of three-dimensional fields, including filtering, scale separation, gradient evaluation, thermochemical analysis, and visualization, using concise and reproducible scripts. Its pointer-based data management strategy allows very large datasets to be processed on standard workstations without excessive memory usage, significantly lowering the barrier to advanced analysis. Beyond basic post-processing, \texttt{aPriori} supports workflows central to modern turbulence and combustion research, such as a priori model assessment, data-driven closure development, and detailed chemical analyses that include computational singular perturbation. By unifying these capabilities within a coherent and extensible software architecture, \texttt{aPriori} enhances productivity, promotes reproducibility, and facilitates broader and more effective use of high-fidelity simulation data within the computational fluid dynamics community.
title aPriori: a Python package to process direct numerical simulations
topic Fluid Dynamics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.24363