Implementation of nonreflecting boundary conditions for the nonlinear Euler equations

Computationally efficient nonreflecting boundary conditions are derived for the Euler equations with acoustic, entropic and vortical inflow disturbances. The formulation linearizes the Euler equations near the inlet/outlet boundaries and expands the solution in terms of Fourier–Bessel modes. This leads to an ‘exact’ nonreflecting boundary condition, local in space but nonlocal in time, for each Fourier–Bessel mode of the perturbation pressure. The perturbation velocity and density are then calculated using acoustic, entropic and vortical mode splitting. Extension of the boundary conditions to nonuniform swirling flows is presented for the narrow annulus limit which is relevant to many aeroacoustic problems. The boundary conditions are implemented for the nonlinear Euler equations which are solved in space using the finite volume approximation and integrated in time using a MacCormack scheme. Two test problems are carried out: propagation of acoustic waves in an annular duct and the scattering of a vortical wave by a cascade. Comparison between the present exact conditions and commonly used approximate local boundary conditions is made. Results show that, unlike the local boundary conditions whose accuracy depends on the group velocity of the scattered waves, the present conditions give accurate solutions for a range of problems that have a wide array of group velocities. Results also show that this approach leads to a significant savings in computational time and memory by obviating the need to store the pressure field and calculate the nonlocal convolution integral at each point in the inlet and exit boundaries.