Accurate Navier-Stokes investigation of transitional and turbulent flows in a circular pipe (Q1286937)

We present a fast, accurate, and roundoff-error robust numerical technique for integrating unsteady incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in cylindrical coordinates. The algorithm is based on a new change of dependent variables that avoids singularity problems taking into account special behaviour of analytic functions in the vicinity of a singularity point. Being written in new variables, Navier-Stokes equations can be discretized then without loss of accuracy by using the Galerkin trigonometric approximation in azimuthal and streamwise directions, and the Chebyshev collocation technique in the radial coordinate \(r\). The use of half Chebyshev grid points with prescribed conditions at \(r=0\) turns out to be justified: we achieve spectral (faster than algebraic) convergence of numerical Navier-Stokes solutions in the pipe. The possible reason for spectral convergence is that the Navier-Stokes solutions obtained proved to be analytic functions in the vicinity of polar axis. Verification of the algorithm includes two issues. First, spectral characteristics of the Hagen-Poiseuille flow stability problem are compared with those of the discrete linearized Navier-Stokes operator. Secondly, the results of direct Navier-Stokes simulation of all stages of laminar-turbulent transition in a circular pipe at Reynolds number of 4000 are presented. \(\copyright\) Academic Press.