Algorithms of very high space-time orders of accuracy for hyperbolic equations in the semidiscrete WENO-DeC framework

TL;DR

This paper investigates very high order numerical methods combining WENO spatial reconstruction and DeC time discretization for hyperbolic PDEs, demonstrating their advantages and limitations in accuracy and efficiency.

Contribution

It demonstrates the feasibility and benefits of using very high order schemes in hyperbolic PDEs and clarifies the impact of lower order time discretizations on overall accuracy.

Findings

Very high order schemes improve efficiency and accuracy in hyperbolic PDEs.

Lower order SSPRK time discretizations cause order degradation and efficiency loss.

Numerical results confirm advantages in real-life applications with discontinuities.

Abstract

In this work, we provide a deep investigation of a family of arbitrary high order numerical methods for hyperbolic partial differential equations (PDEs), with particular emphasis on very high order versions, i.e., with order higher than 5. More in detail, within the context of a generic Finite Volume (FV) semidiscretization, we consider Weighted Essentially Non--Oscillatory (WENO) spatial reconstruction and Deferred Correction (DeC) time discretization. The goal of this paper is twofold. On the one hand, we want to demonstrate the possibility of utilizing very high order schemes in concrete situations and highlight the related advantages. On the other one, we want to debunk the myth according to which, in the context of numerical resolution of hyperbolic PDEs with very high order spatial discretizations, the adoption of lower order time discretizations, e.g., strong stability preserving (SSP) or linearly strong stability preserving ($\ell SSP$) Runge--Kutta (RK) schemes, does not affect the overall accuracy of the resulting approach and consequently its computational efficiency. Numerical results are reported for the linear advection equation (LAE) and for the Euler equations of fluid dynamics, showing the advantages and the critical aspects of the adoption of very high order numerical methods. Overall, the results indicate the potential for their use in real--life applications, offering advantages in terms of efficiency, such as requiring shorter computational times to achieve a prescribed error, even in problems involving discontinuities. Furthermore, the results confirm order degradation and efficiency loss when coupling very high order space discretizations with lower order SSPRK time discretizations.