A staggered semi-implicit hybrid FV/FE projection method for weakly compressible flows

In this article we present a novel staggered semi-implicit hybrid finite-volume/finite-element (FV/FE) method for the resolution of weakly compressible flows in two and three space dimensions. The pressure-based methodology introduced in [1], [2] for viscous incompressible flows is extended here to solve the compressible Navier-Stokes equations. Instead of considering the classical system including the energy conservation equation, we replace it by the pressure evolution equation written in non-conservative form. To ease the discretization of complex spatial domains, face-type unstructured staggered meshes are considered. A projection method allows the decoupling of the computation of the density and linear momentum variables from the pressure. Then, an explicit finite volume scheme is used for the resolution of the transport diffusion equations on the dual mesh, whereas the pressure system is solved implicitly by using continuous finite elements defined on the primal simplex mesh. Consequently, the CFL stability condition depends only on the flow velocity, avoiding the severe time restrictions that might be imposed by the sound velocity in the weakly compressible regime. High order of accuracy in space and time of the transport diffusion stage is attained using a local ADER (LADER) methodology. Moreover, also the CVC Kolgan-type second order in space and first order in time scheme is considered. To prevent spurious oscillations in the presence of shocks, an ENO-based reconstruction, the minmod limiter or the Barth-Jespersen limiter are employed. To show the validity and robustness of our novel staggered semi-implicit hybrid FV/FE scheme, several benchmarks are analysed, showing a good agreement with available exact solutions and numerical reference data from low Mach numbers, up to Mach numbers of the order of unity.