Lattice Boltzmann Formulation Research Articles

Investigation of diabatic imparity involving asymmetric convection in two-dimensional longitudinal fins using lattice Boltzmann solver

This manuscript investigates the effect of diabatic imparity on two-dimensional (2-D) transient fins having naturally obtained non-linear variation of temperature-dependent conductivity. The diabatic imparity arises due to asymmetrical convection coefficient on the surfaces, implemented using different Biot numbers on each respective surface of the fin, which resembles pragmatic industrial applications. The transient solution of 2-D fin has been obtained using a Lattice Boltzmann (LB) solver, firstly, the suitability of 2-D LB formulation is established with the validity of the existing results, and subsequently extending the LB formulation for the present study. The numerical solution is determined under the two types of step-changing boundary conditions at the fin root having (i) heat flow and (ii) temperature. Results have been plotted graphically, and these include instantaneous isotherms, equilibrium isotherms, and threshold iso-temporal lines. Reported results facilitate the fin designer to examine the effect of diabatic imparity on the attainment of steady-state and occurrence of transverse temperature gradient on 2-D transient fin. The reported results provided are pertinent to the pragmatic application and are seldom reported in the literature. The outcomes of the present investigation are eminently informative to practising engineers and will serve as design monograms.

Efficient lattice Boltzmann simulation of free-surface granular flows with μ(I)-rheology

This paper presents a lattice Boltzmann framework for accurate and efficient simulation of free-surface granular flows. The granular assembly is treated as a viscoplastic fluid, whose apparent viscosity varies locally with the shear rate and pressure according to a regularized μ(I)-rheology. A single-phase free-surface model is employed to track the evolution of the particle-air interface. The lattice Boltzmann implementation is first validated by simulating a steady-state granular flow on a rough inclined plane and a good agreement with the analytical solution is achieved. The validated model is then applied to simulate a transient granular column collapse problem. Compared to a companion discrete element simulation, the lattice Boltzmann model with the μ(I)-rheology is able to capture the overall dynamic behaviors of granular column collapse. However, a different behavior is observed when a similar Bingham viscoplastic model with a fixed yield stress is applied, highlighting the pressure dependent nature of granular flows. The proposed lattice Boltzmann formulation is highly efficient compared to the conventional computational fluid dynamics, and has the potential to conduct three-dimensional continuum simulation of large-scale geophysical flows with microscopic granular physics.

A lattice Boltzmann formulation of the one-fluid model for multiphase flow

A multiphase lattice Boltzmann model is constructed to numerically solve the one-fluid flow equations for immiscible fluids. The method features one solver for the macroscopic pressure and momentum and another for a scalar field that captures and sharpens the interface. The surface tension is set a priori and independently of other parameters. The interface capillary tensor is embedded within the moments of the lattice Boltzmann equation so that its divergence is captured locally. The algorithm is simple and can compute flows with large density and viscosity ratios while maintaining distributed but narrow interfaces. The model is validated against analytical solutions and benchmark simulations.

Analysis of Carleman Linearization of Lattice Boltzmann

We explore the Carleman linearization of the collision term of the lattice Boltzmann formulation, as a first step towards formulating a quantum lattice Boltzmann algorithm. Specifically, we deal with the case of a single, incompressible fluid with the Bhatnagar Gross and Krook equilibrium function. Under this assumption, the error in the velocities is proportional to the square of the Mach number. Then, we showcase the Carleman linearization technique for the system under study. We compute an upper bound to the number of variables as a function of the order of the Carleman linearization. We study both collision and streaming steps of the lattice Boltzmann formulation under Carleman linearization. We analytically show why linearizing the collision step sacrifices the exactness of streaming in lattice Boltzmann, while also contributing to the blow up in the number of Carleman variables in the classical algorithm. The error arising from Carleman linearization has been shown analytically and numerically to improve exponentially with the Carleman linearization order. This bodes well for the development of a corresponding quantum computing algorithm based on the lattice Boltzmann equation.

Lattice Boltzmann method for fluid–structure interaction in compressible flow

We present a two-way coupled fluid–structure interaction scheme for rigid bodies using a two-population lattice Boltzmann formulation for compressible flows. An arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian formulation of the discrete Boltzmann equation on body-fitted meshes is used in combination with polynomial blending functions. The blending function approach localizes mesh deformation and allows treating multiple moving bodies with a minimal computational overhead. We validate the model with several test cases of vortex induced vibrations of single and tandem cylinders and show that it can accurately describe dynamic behavior of these systems. Finally, in the compressible regime, we demonstrate that the proposed model accurately captures complex phenomena such as transonic flutter over an airfoil.

An interpolation-based lattice Boltzmann method for non-conforming orthogonal meshes

We propose an interpolation-based lattice Boltzmann formulation that is applicable to non-conforming orthogonal meshes. This interpolation configuration allows the use of localized and directional refinement that reduces mesh sizes and makes them well adapted for solving flows in various configurations, including aerodynamic shapes in free streams. The novel aspect of the proposed method lies in the interpolation scheme selection algorithm, which uses local mesh topology for choosing a suitable combination of nodes and polynomial terms. The objective of this study consists of validating the scheme accuracy with well documented laminar incompressible flow test cases. The results demonstrate the capability of the proposed interpolation method to successfully solve closed and open flows with either straight or curved walls. Simulations for the flow over a NACA 0012 airfoil show that the aerodynamic coefficients are captured correctly using a mesh with large aspect ratio cells near the wall and in the airfoil wake.

Revisiting the Lattice Boltzmann Method Through a Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics Perspective

Abstract In this paper, we incorporate a nonequilibrium thermodynamics perspective that is consistent with the Onsager reciprocity principle into the lattice Boltzmann framework to propose a novel regularized lattice Boltzmann formulation for modeling the Navier–Stokes–Fourier equations. The new method is applied to one-dimensional (1D) isothermal situations wherein the advantages of incorporating such a nonequilibrium perspective can be explicitly appreciated. In such situations, the nonequilibrium contribution of the lattice populations obtained by the new method completely vanishes, and the lattice update is entirely reduced to evaluating the equilibrium distribution function. Such a counterintuitive 1D mesoscopic description is not obtained in any other existing lattice Boltzmann scheme. We therefore numerically test the proposed formulation on two complex problems, namely, shockwave and nonlinear wave propagation, and compare results with analytical results along with six existing lattice Boltzmann schemes; it is found that the new method indeed yields results that are more stable and accurate. These results highlight the potency of the nonequilibrium thermodynamics-based approach for obtaining accurate and stable lattice Boltzmann computations, and provide new insights into established lattice Boltzmann simulation methods.

Axisymmetric lattice Boltzmann formulation for mixed convection with anisotropic thermal diffusion and associated bubble breakdown

The effect of the mixed convection with anisotropic thermal diffusion on the bubble breakdown inside a cylindrical cavity with a rotating top and the stationary bottom is investigated in this article. The lattice Boltzmann multiple relaxation time axisymmetric method with the D2Q9 model is used. The three distribution functions, one for axial and radial components of the velocity field, second for an azimuthal component of the velocity field, and third for the temperature field, are used. The code is validated for the fluid flow inside a lid-driven cylindrical cavity and for hot rotating-top-lid cylindrical cavity. The results are compared with the benchmark data. The effect of mixed convection on the Bödewadt boundary layer thickness and the temperature boundary layer thickness is investigated. The simulations are perfermed for various Reynolds number (Re) from of 990 and 2494, the Richardson number (Ri in 0.01 and 1, and Rayleigh number (Ra from 9801 and 6.22×106). This study concludes that the Bödewadt boundary layer thickness (δB) is ∝ to Ri and the temperature boundary layer thickness (δTc) is ∝ to Ri for 0.01≤ Ri ≤0.1. Further, the δB≈δTc for isotropic thermal diffusion. For an anisotropic thermal diffusion, the δB remains constant and δTc increases at Ri = 0.01 with an increase in the ratio of thermal diffusivity values (n). The bubble breakdown vanishes with an increase in Ri at a constant Re. The main application of this study is in the mixing/blending processes with convection inside cylindrical shaped reactors.

Simulations of Aerodynamic Separated Flows Using the Lattice Boltzmann Solver XFlow

We present simulations of turbulent detached flows using the commercial lattice Boltzmann solver XFlow (by Dassault Systemes). XFlow’s lattice Boltzmann formulation together with an efficient octree mesh generator reduce substantially the cost of generating complex meshes for industrial flows. In this work, we challenge these meshes and quantify the accuracy of the solver for detached turbulent flows. The good performance of XFlow when combined with a Large-Eddy Simulation turbulence model is demonstrated for different industrial benchmarks and validated using experimental data or fine numerical simulations. We select five test cases: the Backward-facing step the Goldschmied Body the HLPW-2 (2nd High-Lift Prediction Workshop) full aircraft geometry, a NACA0012 under dynamic stall conditions and a parametric study of leading edge tubercles to improve stall behavior on a 3D wing.

Steady-state two-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann formulation for transport and flow, closed with the compact multi-reflection boundary and interface-conjugate schemes

We introduce the steady-state two-relaxation-time (TRT) Lattice Boltzmann method. Owing to the symmetry argument, the bulk system and the closure equations are all expressed in terms of the equilibrium and non-equilibrium unknowns with the half discrete velocity set. The local mass-conservation solvability condition is adjusted to match the stationary, but also the quasi-stationary, solutions of the standard TRT solver. Additionally, the developed compact, boundary and interface-conjugate, multi-reflection (MR) concept preserves the efficient directional bulk structure and shares its parametrization properties. The method is exemplified in grid-inclined stratified slabs for two-phase Stokes flow and the linear advection-diffusion equation featuring the discontinuous coefficients and sources. The piece-wise parabolic benchmark solutions are matched exactly with the novel Dirichlet, pressure-stress, Neumann flux and Robin MR schemes. The popular, anti-bounce-back and shape-fitted Dirichlet continuity schemes are improved in the presence of both interface-parallel and perpendicular advection velocity fields. The steady-state method brings numerous advantages: it skips transient numerical instability, overpasses severe von Neumann parameter range limitations, tolerates high physical contrasts and arbitrary MR coefficients. The method is promising for faster computation of Stokes/Brinkman/Darcy linear flows in heterogeneous soil, but also heat and mass transfer problems governed by an accurate boundary and interface treatment.

Modeling epidemics by the lattice Boltzmann method.

In this paper, we demonstrate that the lattice Boltzmann method can be successfully adopted to investigate the dynamics of epidemics. Numerical simulations prove the excellent accuracy properties of the approach, which recovers the solution of the popular SIR model. Because spatial effects are naturally accounted for in the lattice Boltzmann formulation, the present scheme appears to be more competitive than traditional solution procedures. Interestingly, it allows us to simulate scenarios characterized by selective lockdown configurations.

ATP Release by Red Blood Cells under Flow: Model and Simulations

ATP is a major player as a signaling molecule in blood microcirculation. It is released by red blood cells (RBCs) when they are subjected to shear stresses large enough to induce a sufficient shape deformation. This prominent feature of chemical response to shear stress and RBC deformation constitutes an important link between vessel geometry, flow conditions, and the mechanical properties of RBCs, which are all contributing factors affecting the chemical signals in the process of vasomotor modulation of the precapillary vessel networks. Several in vitro experiments have reported on ATP release by RBCs due to mechanical stress. These studies have considered both intact RBCs as well as cells within which suspected pathways of ATP release have been inhibited. This has provided profound insights to help elucidate the basic governing key elements, yet how the ATP release process takes place in the (intermediate) microcirculation zone is not well understood. We propose here an analytical model of ATP release. The ATP concentration is coupled in a consistent way to RBC dynamics. The release of ATP, or the lack thereof, is assumed to depend on both the local shear stress and the shape change of the membrane. The full chemo-mechanical coupling problem is written in a lattice-Boltzmann formulation and solved numerically in different geometries (straight channels and bifurcations mimicking vessel networks) and under two kinds of imposed flows (shear and Poiseuille flows). Our model remarkably reproduces existing experimental results. It also pinpoints the major contribution of ATP release when cells traverse network bifurcations. This study may aid in further identifying the interplay between mechanical properties and chemical signaling processes involved in blood microcirculation.

Cascaded lattice Boltzmann method based on central moments for axisymmetric thermal flows including swirling effects

A cascaded lattice Boltzmann (LB) approach based on central moments and multiple relaxation times to simulate thermal convective flows, which are driven by buoyancy forces and/or swirling effects, in the cylindrical coordinate system with axial symmetry is presented. In this regard, the dynamics of the axial and radial momentum components along with the pressure are represented by means of the 2D Navier-Stokes equations with geometric mass and momentum source terms in the pseudo Cartesian form, while the evolutions of the azimuthal momentum and the temperature field are each modeled by an advection-diffusion type equation with appropriate local source terms. Based on these, cascaded LB schemes involving three distribution functions are formulated to solve for the fluid motion in the meridian plane using a D2Q9 lattice, and to solve for the azimuthal momentum and the temperature field each using a D2Q5 lattice. The geometric mass and momentum source terms for the flow fields and the energy source term for the temperature field are included using a new symmetric operator splitting technique, via pre-collision and post-collision source steps around the cascaded collision step for each distribution function. These result in a particularly simple and compact formulation to directly represent the effect of various geometric source terms consistently in terms of changes in the appropriate zeroth and first order moments. Simulations of several complex buoyancy-driven thermal flows and including rotational effects in cylindrical geometries using the new axisymmetric cascaded LB schemes show good agreement with prior benchmark results for the structures of the velocity and thermal fields as well as the heat transfer rates given in terms of the Nusselt numbers. Furthermore, the method is shown to be second order accurate and significant improvements in numerical stability with the use of the cascaded LB formulation when compared to other collision models for axisymmetric flow simulations are demonstrated.

A single-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann model for anisotropic advection-diffusion equation based on the diffusion velocity flux formulation

In this paper, we describe a single-relaxation-time (SRT) lattice Boltzmann formulation, which can be effectively applied to anisotropic advection-dispersion equations (AADE). The formulation can be applied to space and time variable anisotropic hydrodynamic dispersion tensor. The approach utilizes diffusion velocity lattice Boltzmann formulation which in the case of AADE can represent anisotropic diagonal and off-diagonal elements of the dispersion matrix by the coupling of advective and diffusive fluxes in equilibrium function. With this approach, AADE can be applied to the SRT lattice Boltzmann formulation using the same equilibrium function and without any changes to collision step nor in the application of boundary conditions. The approach shows good stability even for highly anisotropic dispersion tensor and is tested on selected illustrative examples which demonstrate the accuracy and applicability of the proposed method.

Symmetrized operator split schemes for force and source modeling in cascaded lattice Boltzmann methods for flow and scalar transport.

Operator split forcing schemes exploiting a symmetrization principle, i.e., Strang splitting, for cascaded lattice Boltzmann (LB) methods in two- and three-dimensions for fluid flows with impressed local forces are presented. Analogous scheme for the passive scalar transport represented by a convection-diffusion equation with a source term in a novel cascaded LB formulation is also derived. They are based on symmetric applications of the split solutions of the changes on the scalar field or fluid momentum due to the sources or forces over half time steps before and after the collision step. The latter step is effectively represented in terms of the post-collision change of moments at zeroth and first orders, respectively, to represent the effect of the sources on the scalar transport and forces on the fluid flow. Such symmetrized operator split cascaded LB schemes are consistent with the second-order Strang splitting and naturally avoid any discrete effects due to forces or sources by appropriately projecting their effects for higher-order moments. All the force or source implementation steps are performed only in the moment space and they do not require formulations as extra terms and their additional transformations to the velocity space. These result in particularly simpler and efficient schemes to incorporate forces or sources in the cascaded LB methods unlike those considered previously. Numerical study for various benchmark problems in 2D and 3D for fluid flow problems with body forces and scalar transport with sources demonstrate the validity and accuracy, as well as the second-order convergence rate of the symmetrized operator split forcing or source schemes for the cascaded LB methods.

A coupled lattice Boltzmann method and discrete element method for discrete particle simulations of particulate flows

Discrete particle simulations are widely used to study large-scale particulate flows in complex geometries where particle–particle and particle–fluid interactions require an adequate representation but the computational cost has to be kept low. In this work, we present a novel coupling approach for such simulations. A lattice Boltzmann formulation of the generalized Navier–Stokes equations is used to describe the fluid motion. This promises efficient simulations suitable for high performance computing and, since volume displacement effects by the solid phase are considered, our approach is also applicable to non-dilute particulate systems. The discrete element method is combined with an explicit evaluation of interparticle lubrication forces to simulate the motion of individual submerged particles. Drag, pressure and added mass forces determine the momentum transfer by fluid–particle interactions. A stable coupling algorithm is presented and discussed in detail. We demonstrate the validity of our approach for dilute as well as for dense systems by predicting the settling velocity of spheres over a broad range of solid volume fractions in good agreement with semi-empirical correlations. Moreover, the accuracy of particle–wall interactions in a viscous fluid is thoroughly tested and established. Finally, simulations of mono- and bi-disperse fluidized beds highlight the capability of our new approach to handle configurations with large particle numbers.

Central moments-based cascaded lattice Boltzmann method for thermal convective flows in three-dimensions

Fluid motion driven by thermal effects, such as that due to buoyancy in differentially heated three-dimensional (3D) enclosures, arise in several natural settings and engineering applications. It is represented by the solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations (NSE) in conjunction with the thermal energy transport equation represented as a convection-diffusion equation (CDE) for the temperature field. In this study, we develop new 3D lattice Boltzmann (LB) methods based on central moments and using multiple relaxation times for the three-dimensional, fifteen velocity (D3Q15) lattice, as well as it subset, i.e. the three-dimensional, seven velocity (D3Q7) lattice to solve the 3D CDE for the temperature field in a double distribution function framework. Their collision operators lead to a cascaded structure involving higher order terms resulting in improved stability. In this approach, the fluid motion is solved by another 3D cascaded LB model from prior work. Owing to the differences in the number of collision invariants to represent the dynamics of flow and the transport of the temperature field, the structure of the collision operator for the 3D cascaded LB formulation for the CDE is found to be markedly different from that for the NSE. The new 3D cascaded (LB) models for thermal convective flows are validated for natural convection of air driven thermally on two vertically opposite faces in a cubic cavity enclosure at different Rayleigh numbers against prior numerical benchmark solutions. Results show good quantitative agreement of the profiles of the flow and thermal fields, and the magnitudes of the peak convection velocities as well as the heat transfer rates given in terms of the Nusselt number

A three-dimensional enthalpic lattice Boltzmann formulation for convection–diffusion heat transfer problems in heterogeneous media

ABSTRACTIn this paper, an enthalpic lattice Boltzmann method formulation for 3D unsteady convection–diffusion heat transfer problems is used to overcome discontinuity issues in heterogeneous media. The new formulation is based on the appearance of a source term added to the collision step. The major achievement of the proposed enthalpic LB formulation is avoiding any interface treatments or geometry considerations even when dealing with complex geometries. The performance of the present method is tested for several three-dimensional convection–diffusion problems. Comparisons are made with the control volume method, and numerical results show excellent agreements.

PROTEUS: A coupled iterative force-correction immersed-boundary multi-domain cascaded lattice Boltzmann solver

Most realistic fluid flow problems are characterized by high Reynolds numbers and complex boundaries. Over the last ten years, immersed boundary methods that are able to cope with realistic geometries have been applied to Lattice-Boltzmann (LB) methods. These methods, however, have normally been applied to low Reynolds number problems. Here we present a novel coupling between an iterative force-correction immersed boundary (Zhang et al., 2016) and a multi-domain cascaded LB method. The iterative force-correction immersed boundary method has been selected due to the improved accuracy of the computation, while the cascaded LB formulation is used due to its superior stability at high Reynolds numbers. The coupling is shown to improve both the stability and numerical accuracy of the solution. The resulting solver has been applied to viscous flow (up to a Reynolds number of 100000) passed a NACA-0012 airfoil at a 10 degree angle of attack. Good agreement with results obtained using a body-fitted Navier–Stokes solver has been obtained. The formulation provides a straight forward and efficient method for modeling realistic geometries and could easily be extended to problems with moving boundaries.

Impact of the kinetic boundary condition on porous media flow in the lattice Boltzmann formulation.

To emphasize the importance of the kinetic boundary condition for micro- to nanoscale flow, we present an ad hoc kinetic boundary condition suitable for torturous geological porous media. We found that the kinetic boundary condition is one of the essential features which should be supplemented to the standard lattice Boltzmann scheme in order to obtain accurate continuum observables. The claim is validated using a channel flow setup by showing the agreement of mass flux with analytical value. Further, using a homogeneous porous structure, the importance of the kinetic boundary condition is shown by comparing the permeability correction factor with the analytical value. Finally, the proposed alternate to the kinetic boundary condition is validated by showing its capability to capture the basic feature of the kinetic boundary condition.