An efficient algorithm for weakly compressible flows in spherical geometries

Abstract

AbstractIn this article, we present a direction splitting method, combined with a nonlinear iteration, for the compressible Navier‐Stokes equations in spherical coordinates. The method is aimed at solving the equations on the sphere, and can be used for a regional geophysical simulations as well as simulations on the entire sphere. The aim of this work was to develop a method that would work efficiently in the limit of very small to vanishing Mach numbers, and we demonstrate here, using a numerical example, that the method shows good convergence and stability at Mach numbers in the range [10−2, 10−6]. We also demonstrate the effect of some of the parameters of the model on the solution, on a common geophysical test case of a rising thermal bubble. The algorithm is particularly suitable for a massive parallel implementation, and we show below some results demonstrating its excellent weak scalability.