2/3/22, 11:50 AM CFD Notes by Hiroaki Nishikawa [Computational Fluid Dynamics - CFD]

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   The Roe-Averaged Density

The Roe flux (Roe's Approximate Riemann Solver; P. L. Roe,

JCP 1981) is perhaps the most
popular method for computing the numerical flux
for the Euler equations. But there is a question
as to whether it is implemented correctly.
In particular, averaging for the density can be a source
of
confusion. Here is one possible explanation for the average density.

Let and
be the conservative
variables on the left and right states. Then, the Roe flux over
the two states can be computed as follows. First compute the Roe-averaged velocity, total
enthalpy, and the
speed of sound:

Then, evaluate the eigenvalues and the right-eigenvectors of the Jacobian matrix, and , by
the above Roe-averaged quantities. Compute also the left and right fluxes:

Note that no averaging is necessary for the density up to this point. We are now almost ready to
compute the Roe flux:

Yes, 'almost', that is because we have not defined the wave strengths, .

There are two ways to compute them.

1. Without Density:  The wave strengths can be computed by

where .
These expressions have been derived by solving

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2/3/22, 11:50 AM CFD Notes by Hiroaki Nishikawa [Computational Fluid Dynamics - CFD]

so that the projection of the jump in onto the space of the

right-eigenvectors is exact.
This exactness is very important.

2. With Density:   The wave strengths can be computed also as follows.

where it is very important to define the average density as

In fact, these expressions can be derived from the exact projection condition (2) [see
Godlewski
and Raviart ]. Therefore, these wave strengths are exactly the same as those in 1. In
particular, the
average density defined as above, which may be called the
Roe-averaged density, is the only
choice that guarantees the exact projection. No other averaging is allowed. If other average is
used
for the density, the exact
projection is violated, and consequently the Roe flux cannot be
fully upwind (with respect to the linearized waves).

Why is that?   The Roe flux in the form of Equation (1) comes from averaging two expressions
for the
interface flux: one from the left state across the left-moving waves, and the
other from the
right state across
the right-moving waves,

It is important to note that these two expressions are NOT identically equal. Consider the
difference of the two,

If the projection is exact, then

and it vanishes if the Jacobian is evaluated by the Roe-averages. That is, the two expressions are
equal if the projection is exact and the
Roe-averages are used to linearize the Euler equations. The
exact projection is critical to keeping the equality. To see what goes wrong if the two expressions
are not equal, suppose all waves are right-moving so that

Then, the Roe flux that is the average of the two will not be fully upwind,

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2/3/22, 11:50 AM CFD Notes by Hiroaki Nishikawa [Computational Fluid Dynamics - CFD]

unless   . Consequently, it won't be able to recognize a single discontinuity unless

implemented right.

"Is it a serious problem?"

I hope not.

What about an entropy fix?

It may destroy everything (the exact projection as well as ).
But it should because the need arises from a flaw in the linearized Riemann solver approach.

by Hiroaki Nishikawa, March 3, 2011.

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