A simple method for compressible multiphase mixtures and interfaces

We develop a Godunov-type scheme for a non-conservative, unconditional hyperbolic multiphase model. It involves a set of seven partial differential equations and has the ability to solve interface problems between pure materials as well as compressible multiphase mixtures with two velocities and nonequilibrium thermodynamics (two pressures, two temperatures, two densities, etc.). Its numerical resolution poses several difficulties. The model possesses a large number of acoustic and convective waves (seven waves) and it is not easy to upwind all these waves accurately and simply. Also, the system is non-conservative, and the numerical approximations of the corresponding terms need to be provided. In this paper, we focus on a method, based on a characteristic decomposition which solves these problems in a simple way and with good accuracy. The robustness, accuracy and versatility of the method is clearly demonstrated on several test problems with exact solutions. (C) Copyright 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.