The linearized pressure Poisson equation for global instability analysis of incompressible flows

Abstract

The linearized pressure Poisson equation (LPPE) is used in two and three spatial dimensions in the respective matrix-forming solution of the BiGlobal and TriGlobal eigenvalue problem in primitive variables on collocated grids. It provides a disturbance pressure boundary condition which is compatible with the recovery of perturbation velocity components that satisfy exactly the linearized continuity equation. The LPPE is employed to analyze instability in wall-bounded flows and in the prototype open Blasius boundary layer flow. In the closed flows, excellent agreement is shown between results of the LPPE and those of global linear instability analyses based on the time-stepping nektar++, Semtex and nek5000 codes, as well as with those obtained from the FreeFEM++ matrix-forming code. In the flat plate boundary layer, solutions extracted from the two-dimensional LPPE eigenvector at constant streamwise locations are found to be in very good agreement with profiles delivered by the NOLOT/PSE space marching code. Benchmark eigenvalue data are provided in all flows analyzed. The performance of the LPPE is seen to be superior to that of the commonly used pressure compatibility (PC) boundary condition: at any given resolution, the discrete part of the LPPE eigenspectrum contains converged and not converged, but physically correct, eigenvalues. By contrast, the PC boundary closure delivers some of the LPPE eigenvalues and, in addition, physically wrong eigenmodes. It is concluded that the LPPE should be used in place of the PC pressure boundary closure, when BiGlobal or TriGlobal eigenvalue problems are solved in primitive variables by the matrix-forming approach on collocated grids.