Pressure method for the numerical solution of transient, compressible fluid flows

In this paper the pressure method for incompressible fluid flow simulation is extended and applied to the numerical simulation of compressible fluid flow. The governing equations, obtained from the physical principles of conservation of momentum, mass and energy, are first studied from a characteristic point of view. Then they are discretized with a semi-implicit finite difference technique in such a fashion that stability is achieved independently of the speed of sound. The resulting algorithm is fast, accurate and particularly efficient in subsonic flow calculations. As an example, the computer simulation of the von Karman vortex street is described and discussed.