An improved understanding of the divergence-free constraint for the
incompressible Navier--Stokes equations leads to the observation that a
semi-norm and corresponding equivalence classes of forces are fundamental for
their nonlinear dynamics. The recent concept of {\em pressure-robustness}
allows to distinguish between space discretisations that discretise these
equivalence classes appropriately or not. This contribution compares the
accuracy of pressure-robust and non-pressure-robust space discretisations for
transient high Reynolds number flows, starting from the observation that in
generalised Beltrami flows the nonlinear convection term is balanced by a
strong pressure gradient. Then, pressure-robust methods are shown to outperform
comparable non-pressure-robust space discretisations. Indeed, pressure-robust
methods of formal order k are comparably accurate than non-pressure-robust
methods of formal order 2k on coarse meshes. Investigating the material
derivative of incompressible Euler flows, it is conjectured that strong
pressure gradients are typical for non-trivial high Reynolds number flows.
Connections to vortex-dominated flows are established. Thus,
pressure-robustness appears to be a prerequisite for accurate incompressible
flow solvers at high Reynolds numbers. The arguments are supported by numerical
analysis and numerical experiments.Comment: 43 pages, 18 figures, 2 table
