Index-aware Model-Order Reduction for a Special Class of Nonlinear Differential-Algebraic Equations

We extend the index-aware model-order reduction method to systems of nonlinear differential-algebraic equations with a special nonlinear term f(Ex), where E is a singular matrix. Such nonlinear differential-algebraic equations arise, for example, in the spatial discretization of the gas flow in pipeline networks. In practice, mathematical models of real-life processes pose challenges when used in numerical simulations, due to complexity and system size. Model-order reduction aims to eliminate this problem by generating reduced-order models that have lower computational cost to simulate, yet accurately represent the original large-scale system behavior. However, direct reduction and simulation of nonlinear differential-algebraic equations is difficult due to hidden constraints which affect the choice of numerical integration methods and model-order reduction techniques. We propose an extension of index-aware model-order reduction methods to nonlinear differential-algebraic equations without any kind of linearization. The proposed model-order reduction approach involves automatic decoupling of nonlinear differential-algebraic equations into nonlinear ordinary differential equations and algebraic equations. This allows applying standard model-order reduction techniques to both parts without worrying about the index. The same procedure can also be used to simulate nonlinear differential-algebraic equations using standard integration schemes. We illustrate the performance of our proposed method for nonlinear differential-algebraic equations arising from gas flow models in pipeline networks.