An Efficient Algorithm for the Multicomponent Compressible Navier-Stokes Equations in Low- and High-Mach Number Regimes

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new, efficient numerical algorithm for simulating multicomponent compressible flows across all Mach number regimes, combining stabilization techniques and interface capturing for accuracy and stability.

Contribution

It develops a universal solver that reduces splitting errors and stabilizes computations for both low and high Mach number flows, extending existing methods to multicomponent cases.

Findings

The algorithm is efficient and stable across a wide Mach number range.

It effectively captures flow discontinuities and interface dynamics.

Numerical tests confirm improved accuracy and stability.

Abstract

The goal of this study is to develop an efficient numerical algorithm applicable to a wide range of compressible multicomponent flows. Although many highly efficient algorithms have been proposed for simulating each type of the flows, the construction of a universal solver is known to be challenging. Extreme cases, such as incompressible and highly compressible flows, or inviscid and highly viscous flows, require different numerical treatments in order to maintain the efficiency, stability, and accuracy of the method. Linearized block implicit (LBI) factored schemes are known to provide an efficient way of solving the compressible Navier-Stokes equations implicitly, allowing us to avoid stability restrictions at low Mach number and high viscosity. However, the methods' splitting error has been shown to grow and dominate physical fluxes as the Mach number goes to zero. In this paper, a splitting error reduction technique is proposed to solve the issue. A novel finite element shock-capturing algorithm, proposed by Guermond and Popov, is reformulated in terms of finite differences, extended to the stiffened gas equation of state (SG EOS) and combined with the LBI factored scheme to stabilize the method around flow discontinuities at high Mach numbers. A novel stabilization term is proposed for low Mach number applications. The resulting algorithm is shown to be efficient in both low and high Mach number regimes. The algorithm is extended to the multicomponent case using an interface capturing strategy with surface tension as a continuous surface force. Numerical tests are presented to verify the performance and stability properties for a wide range of flows.