Entropic multi-relaxation time lattice Boltzmann model for complex flows

Abstract

Entropic lattice Boltzmann methods were introduced to overcome the stability issues of lattice Boltzmann models for high Reynolds number turbulent flows. However, to date their validity has been investigated only for simple flows due to the lack of appropriate boundary conditions. We present here an extension of these models to complex flows involving curved and moving boundaries in three dimensions. Apart from a thorough investigation of resolved and under-resolved simulations for periodic flow and turbulent flow in a round pipe, we study in detail the set-up of a simplified internal combustion engine with a valve/piston arrangement. This arrangement allows us to probe the non-trivial interactions between various flow features such as jet breakup, jet–wall interaction, and formation and breakup of large vortical structures, among others. Besides an order of magnitude reduction in computational costs, when compared to state-of-the-art direct numerical simulations (DNS), these methods come with the additional advantage of using static Cartesian meshes also for moving objects, which reduces the complexity of the scheme. Going beyond first-order statistics, a detailed comparison of mean and root-mean-square velocity profiles with high-order spectral element DNS simulations and experimental data shows excellent agreement, highlighting the accuracy and reliability of the method for resolved simulations. Moreover, we show that the implicit subgrid features of the entropic lattice Boltzmann method can be utilized to further reduce the grid sizes and the computational costs, providing an alternative to modern modelling approaches such as large-eddy simulations for complex flows.