Investigation of finite-volume methods to capture shocks and turbulence spectra in compressible flows

The aim of the present paper is to provide a comparison between several finite-volume methods of different numerical accuracy: second-order Godunov method with PPM interpolation and high-order finite-volume WENO method. The results show that while on a smooth problem the high-order method perform better than the second-order one, when the solution contains a shock all the methods collapse to first-order accuracy. In the context of the decay of compressible homogeneous isotropic turbulence with shocklets, the actual overall order of accuracy of the methods reduces to second-order, despite the use of fifth-order reconstruction schemes at cell interfaces. Most important, results in terms of turbulent spectra are similar regardless of the numerical methods employed, except that the PPM method fails to provide an accurate representation in the high-frequency range of the spectra. It is found that this specific issue comes from the slope-limiting procedure and a novel hybrid PPM/WENO method is developed that has the ability to capture the turbulent spectra with the accuracy of a high-order method, but at the cost of the second-order Godunov method. Overall, it is shown that virtually the same physical solution can be obtained much faster by refining a simulation with the second-order method and carefully chosen numerical procedures, rather than running a coarse high-order simulation. Our results demonstrate the importance of evaluating the accuracy of a numerical method in terms of its actual spectral dissipation and dispersion properties on mixed smooth/shock cases, rather than by the theoretical formal order of convergence rate.Comment: This paper was previously composed of 2 parts, and this submission was part 1. It is now replaced by the combined pape

A Hybrid Adaptive Low-Mach-Number/Compressible Method: Euler Equations

Flows in which the primary features of interest do not rely on high-frequency acoustic effects, but in which long-wavelength acoustics play a nontrivial role, present a computational challenge. Integrating the entire domain with low-Mach-number methods would remove all acoustic wave propagation, while integrating the entire domain with the fully compressible equations can in some cases be prohibitively expensive due to the CFL time step constraint. For example, simulation of thermoacoustic instabilities might require fine resolution of the fluid/chemistry interaction but not require fine resolution of acoustic effects, yet one does not want to neglect the long-wavelength wave propagation and its interaction with the larger domain. The present paper introduces a new multi-level hybrid algorithm to address these types of phenomena. In this new approach, the fully compressible Euler equations are solved on the entire domain, potentially with local refinement, while their low-Mach-number counterparts are solved on subregions of the domain with higher spatial resolution. The finest of the compressible levels communicates inhomogeneous divergence constraints to the coarsest of the low-Mach-number levels, allowing the low-Mach-number levels to retain the long-wavelength acoustics. The performance of the hybrid method is shown for a series of test cases, including results from a simulation of the aeroacoustic propagation generated from a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in low-Mach-number mixing layers. It is demonstrated that compared to a purely compressible approach, the hybrid method allows time-steps two orders of magnitude larger at the finest level, leading to an overall reduction of the computational time by a factor of 8

On the numerical accuracy in finite-volume methods to accurately capture turbulence in compressible flows

The goal of the present paper is to understand the impact of numerical schemes for the reconstruction of data at cell faces in finite-volume methods, and to assess their interaction with the quadrature rule used to compute the average over the cell volume. Here, third-, fifth- and seventh-order WENO-Z schemes are investigated. On a problem with a smooth solution, the theoretical order of convergence rate for each method is retrieved, and changing the order of the reconstruction at cell faces does not impact the results, whereas for a shock-driven problem all the methods collapse to first-order. Study of the decay of compressible homogeneous isotropic turbulence reveals that using a high-order quadrature rule to compute the average over a finite volume cell does not improve the spectral accuracy and that all methods present a second-order convergence rate. However the choice of the numerical method to reconstruct data at cell faces is found to be critical to correctly capture turbulent spectra. In the context of simulations with finite-volume methods of practical flows encountered in engineering applications, it becomes apparent that an efficient strategy is to perform the average integration with a low-order quadrature rule on a fine mesh resolution, whereas high-order schemes should be used to reconstruct data at cell faces.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1902.0666

Accounting for convective effects in zero-Mach-number thermoacoustic models

This paper presents a methodology to account for some mean-flow effects on thermo-acoustic instabilities when using the zero-Mach-number assumption. It is shown that when a computational domain is represented under the M=0 assumption, a nonzero-Mach-number element can simply be taken into account by imposing a proper acoustic impedance at the boundaries so as to mimic the mean flow effects in the outer, not computed flow domain. A model that accounts for the coupling between acoustic and entropy waves is presented. It relies on a “delayed entropy coupled boundary condition” (DECBC) for the Helmholtz equation satisfied by the acoustic pressure. The model proves able to capture low-frequency entropic modes even without mean-flow terms in the fluctuating pressure equation

Mixed acoustic–entropy combustion instabilities in gas turbines

A combustion instability in a combustor terminated by a nozzle is analysed and modelled based on a low-order Helmholtz solver. A large eddy simulation (LES) of the corresponding turbulent, compressible and reacting flow is first performed and analysed based on dynamic mode decomposition (DMD). The mode with the highest amplitude shares the same frequency of oscillation as the experiment (approximately 320 Hz) and shows the presence of large entropy spots generated within the combustion chamber and convected down to the exit nozzle. The lowest purely acoustic mode being in the range 700–750 Hz, it is postulated that the instability observed around 320 Hz stems from a mixed entropy–acoustic mode, where the acoustic generation associated with entropy spots being convected throughout the choked nozzle plays a key role. The DMD analysis allows one to extract from the LES results a low-order model that confirms that the mechanism of the low-frequency combustion instability indeed involves both acoustic and convected entropy waves. The delayed entropy coupled boundary condition (DECBC) (Motheau, Selle & Nicoud, J. Sound Vib., vol. 333, 2014, pp. 246–262) is implemented into a numerical Helmholtz solver where the baseline flow is assumed at rest. When fed with appropriate transfer functions to model the entropy generation and convection from the flame to the exit, the Helmholtz/DECBC solver predicts the presence of an unstable mode around 320 Hz, in agreement with both LES and experiments

Accounting for mean flow effects in a zero-Mach number thermo-acoustic solver: application to entropy induced combustion instabilities

Pratiquement toutes les chambres de combustion présentent des instabilités. Par conséquent, il est nécessaire de mieux les comprendre afin de les contrôler. Une possibilité est de simuler l’écoulement réactif à l’intérieur d’une chambre de combustion grâce à la Simulation aux Grandes Echelles (SGE). Cependant la SGE est très coûteuse en terme de capacité de calcul. Une autre possibilité est de réduire la complexité du problème à une simple équation d’onde thermoacoustique (équation dite de Helmholtz), qui peut être résolue en fréquence comme un problème aux valeurs propres. Le couplage entre l’acoustique et la flamme est alors prise en compte au travers des modèles appropriés. Le principal problème de cette méthode est qu’elle repose sur l’hypothèse d’un nombre de Mach nul. Tous les phénomènes liés à l’écoulement moyen sont donc négligés. La présente thèse propose une nouvelle stratégie pour prendre en compte certains effets de l’écoulement dans un contexte à Mach nul. Dans une première partie, la manière la plus judicieuse d’imposer un élément présentant un écoulement très rapide est étudiée. La seconde partie se focalise sur le couplage entre l’acoustique et les hétérogénéités de température qui sont générées par la flamme et naturellement convectées par l’écoulement moyen. Ce phénomène est important car il est responsable du bruit indirect de combustion qui peut conduire à une instabilité thermoacoustique. Un nouveau type de condition limite (DECBC) est proposé afin de prendre en compte ce mécanisme dans un contexte de résolution de l’équation de Helmholtz à Mach nul. Dans la dernière partie, une chambre de combustion aéronautique présentant une instabilité mixte acoustique/entropique est étudiée. Le bénéfice des méthodes développées dans la présente thèse est testé et comparé à des calculs avec la SGE. Il est montré que les calculs avec un solveur de Helmholtz peuvent reproduire une instabilité de combustion complexe, et que cet outil s’avère avoir le potentiel pour prédire les instabilités afin de concevoir de nouvelles chambres de combustion. ABSTRACT : Virtually all combustion chambers are subject to instabilities. Consequently there is a need to better understand them so as to control them. A possibility is to simulate the reactive flow within a combustor with the Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) method. However LES results come at a tremendous computational cost. Another route is to reduce the complexity of the problem to a simple thermoacoustic Helmholtz wave equation, which can be solved in the frequency domain as an eigenvalue problem. The coupling between the flame and the acoustics is then taken into account via proper models. The main drawback of this latter methodology is that it relies on the zero-Mach number assumption. Hence all phenomena inherent to mean flow effects are neglected. The present thesis aims to provide a novel strategy to introduce back some mean flow effects within the zero-Mach number framework. In a first part, the proper way to impose high-speed elements such as a turbine is investigated. The second part focuses on the coupling between acoustics and temperature heterogeneities that are naturally generated at the flame and convected downstream by the flow. Such phenomenon is important because it is responsible for indirect combustion noise that may drive a thermoacoustic instability. A Delayed Entropy Coupled Boundary Condition (DECBC) is then derived in order to account for this latter mechanism in the framework of a Helmholtz solver where the baseline flow is assumed at rest. In the last part, a realistic aero-engine combustor that features a mixed acoustic/entropy instability is studied. The methodology developed in the present thesis is tested and compared to LES computations. It is shown that computations with the Helmholtz solver can reproduce a complex combustion instability, and that this latter methodology is a potential tool to design new combustors so as to predict and avoid combustion instabilities

A Fourth-Order Adaptive Mesh Refinement Algorithm for the Multicomponent, Reacting Compressible Navier-Stokes Equations

In this paper we present a fourth-order in space and time block-structured adaptive mesh refinement algorithm for the compressible multicomponent reacting Navier-Stokes equations. The algorithm uses a finite volume approach that incorporates a fourth-order discretization of the convective terms. The time stepping algorithm is based on a multi-level spectral deferred corrections method that enables explicit treatment of advection and diffusion coupled with an implicit treatment of reactions. The temporal scheme is embedded in a block-structured adaptive mesh refinement algorithm that includes subcycling in time with spectral deferred correction sweeps applied on levels. Here we present the details of the multi-level scheme paying particular attention to the treatment of coarse-fine boundaries required to maintain fourth-order accuracy in time. We then demonstrate the convergence properties of the algorithm on several test cases including both nonreacting and reacting flows. Finally we present simulations of a vitiated dimethyl ether jet in 2D and a turbulent hydrogen jet in 3D, both with detailed kinetics and transport