Extension of the spectral volume method to high-order boundary representation

Abstract

In this paper, the spectral volume method is extended to the two-dimensional Euler equations with curved boundaries. It is well-known that high-order methods can achieve higher accuracy on coarser meshes than low-order methods. In order to realize the advantage of the high-order spectral volume method over the low order finite volume method, it is critical that solid wall boundaries be represented with high-order polynomials compatible with the order of the interpolation for the state variables. Otherwise, numerical errors generated by the low-order boundary representation may overwhelm any potential accuracy gains offered by high-order methods. Therefore, more general types of spectral volumes (or elements) with curved edges are used near solid walls to approximate the boundaries with high fidelity. The importance of this high-order boundary representation is demonstrated with several well-know inviscid flow test cases, and through comparisons with a second-order finite volume method.