Performance of the DGM for the linearized Euler equations with non-uniform mean-flow

A dispersion analysis of the fully-discrete, nodal discontinuous Galerkin method (DGM) for the solution of the time-domain linearized Euler equations (LEE) is performed. Two dispersion analysis methods are developed, considering both uniform and non-uniform mean-flow effects. Convergence studies are performed for the dispersion, dissipation, and nodal solution errors of the acoustic, entropy, and vorticity modes. The accuracy and stability of the DGM are analyzed in the context of aeroacoustic applications, and guidelines are proposed for the choice of optimal discretizations. Computational costs are estimated for a model problem and related to the choice of the element size, polynomial order, and time step. Results indicate that temporal error can become a dominant source of error for high accuracy requirements and long distance wave propagation. The stability of the scheme is analyzed for a shear layer mean flow profile. Aliasing-type errors are found to contribute to the formation of numerical instabilities which are further strengthened by increases in the polynomial order.