Assessment of high-order discretization schemes for the DNS of compressible swirling mixing layers

We report on results of highly accurate Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) solving the Navier-Stokes equations in cylindrical coordinates. The DNS code computes a compressible swirling mixing layer at Mach number Ma = 0.8. We present two simulations differing in the spatial discretization schemes for the convective terms. On the same grid, comparisons of flow simulations using different discretization schemes for otherwise identical conditions can be performed quantitatively and improve the understanding of the effects of numerical errors and in particular numerical dissipation. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)