Numerical path preserving Godunov schemes for hyperbolic systems

This paper primarily concerns the discontinuities capturing problems in nonconservative and nonconvex conservative hyperbolic systems. For the Godunov scheme of nonconservative hyperbolic systems, the numerical dissipation at discontinuous points in the simulation process is analyzed grid point by grid point through a new perspective. The numerical paths implied in the nonconservative variables represent different averaging and dissipating processes from the conservative cases. Unphysical dissipation of nonconservative variables ruins Rankine-Hugoniot relations, contributing to incorrect jumps, wrong propagation speed, and spurious fluctuations in other characteristic fields. For the discontinuities capturing problem of nonconservative hyperbolic systems, a novel numerical path preserving (NPP) method is proposed to modify the original Godunov schemes so that the dissipation of the numerical methods at discontinuities is carried out strictly following the consistent numerical path. Numerical simulations of the nonconservative systems are performed for isothermal and Euler equations. The results indicate that the NPP method can correctly capture the discontinuous structures and verify the correctness of our theoretical analysis. Additionally, the NPP method is extended to nonconvex hyperbolic conservation systems, and the Alfvénic wave (discontinuity) of the one-dimensional ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations is simulated. It is found that the nonconvex nature of the flux causes unphysical compound wave structures while simulating the Alfvénic wave with the popular schemes nowadays, e.g., Roe of flux difference splitting method and WENO with flux vector splitting method. Modifying the original Godunov schemes with the NPP method proposed in this paper ensures correct simulation of Alfvénic discontinuity in MHD equations. It validates the effectiveness of the NPP method for nonconvex hyperbolic conservation systems.