Application of pressure‐ and density‐based methods for different flow speeds

In this paper, pressure‐based and density‐based methods are studied at different flow speeds. The methods are intended for steady flows, and the goal is to find as general an approach as possible to cover different Mach number regimes. The solution methods are based on a finite‐volume approach. Various forms of inviscid fluxes are applied and connected with either a pressure‐based or density‐based implicit solution. For this purpose, a new pressure‐correction method is developed that can be applied for incompressible and for compressible flows. Another option is a standard density‐based approximate factorization method. In both cases, a convergence is accelerated with a Full Approximation Scheme (FAS) multigrid approach. Sample problems in the range of Ma = 0…6 are simulated using different approaches, and their efficiency and accuracy are compared. On the basis of the quality of the solutions, recommendations are made. © 2015 The Authors. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.