An artificial compressibility method for axisymmetric swirling flows

Purpose This study aims to feature the application of the artificial compressibility method (ACM) for the numerical prediction of two-dimensional (2D) axisymmetric swirling flows. Design/methodology/approach The respective academic numerical solver, named IGal2D, is based on the axisymmetric Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations, arranged in a pseudo-Cartesian form, enhanced by the addition of the circumferential momentum equation. Discretization of spatial derivative terms within the governing equations is performed via unstructured 2D grid layouts, with a node-centered finite-volume scheme. For the evaluation of inviscid fluxes, the upwind Roe’s approximate Riemann solver is applied, coupled with a higher-order accurate spatial reconstruction, whereas an element-based approach is used for the calculation of gradients required for the viscous ones. Time integration is succeeded through a second-order accurate four-stage Runge-Kutta method, adopting additionally a local time-stepping technique. Further acceleration, in terms of computational time, is achieved by using an agglomeration multigrid scheme, incorporating the full approximation scheme in a V-cycle process, within an efficient edge-based data structure. Findings A detailed validation of the proposed numerical methodology is performed by encountering both inviscid and viscous (laminar and turbulent) swirling flows with axial symmetry. IGal2D is compared against the commercial software ANSYS fluent – by using appropriate metrics and characteristic flow quantities – but also against experimental measurements, confirming the proposed methodology’s potential to predict such flows in terms of accuracy. Originality/value This study provides a robust methodology for the accurate prediction of swirling flows by combining the axisymmetric RANS equations with ACM. In addition, a detailed description of the convective flux Jacobian is provided, filling a respective gap in research literature.

Implementation of the fractional-step, artificial compressibility with pressure projection (FSAC-PP) method into openfoam for unsteady flows

Commercial and open-source CFD solvers rely mostly on incompressible approximate projection methods to overcome the pressure-velocity decoupling, such as the SIMPLE (Patankar, 1980) or PISO (Issa, 1986) algorithm. Incompressible methods based on the Artificial Compressibility method (Chorin, 1967) lack a mechanism to evolve in time and need to be supplemented by a real time derivative through the dual time scheme. The current study investigates the implementation of the explicit dual time discretization of the Artificial Compressibility method into OpenFOAM and extends on that by applying the dual time scheme to the incompressible FSAC-PP method (Könözsy, 2012). Applied to the Couette 2D flow at Re=100 and Re=1000, results show that for both methods accurate time evolutions of the velocity profiles are presented, where the FSAC-PP methods seemingly produces smoother profiles compared to the AC method, especially during the start-up of the simulation.

THE NAVIER-STOKES-CONTINUITY EQUATION SOLVER BASED ON ARTIFICIAL COMPRESSIBILITY METHOD

Fluid dynamics analysis can be accurately approximated by using a computer-based numerical method. Rely on the mass and momentum governing equation, the mathematics model for the compressible condition is numerically difficult to overcome. Through an artificial compressibility method, the quasi-compressible condition solution can be simplified. This study will investigate the classical lid-driven cavity case model to affirm the artificial compressibility method. The result shows that the current model is in-line with the previous study for the lid-driven cavity case. A conventional benchmark with the previous numerical study is shown as well.