Extension of finite volume compressible flow solvers to multi-dimensional, variable density zero Mach number flows (Q1819007)

The paper describes a method for the extension of compressible flow solvers to the zero Mach number limit. The proposed scheme involves an explicit flux computation followed by two pressure-correction steps ensuring consistency of fluxes and velocities with the divergence constraint in the zero Mach number limit. Thus, one time step requires the solution for two Poisson-type equations for which a multigrid approach is employed. The authors give a discussion how the proposed method relates to other common zero Mach number approaches like projection or SIMPLE-type methods. By a variety of numerical examples they investigate the accuracy and applicability of the method. The results indicate that the method is able to handle second-order accurately complex zero Mach number problems with large density variations. Thus, the method appears to be promising, for instance, for applications in combustion. However, conclusions how the proposed approach compares to other commonly used techniques (e.g. SIMPLE-type methods) with respect to computational efficiency cannot be drawn from the given results.