Lattice Boltzmann Method Formulation Research Articles

Graded Longitudinal Fins Having Spatially Varying Temperature-Dependent Thermophysical Properties

This paper reports transient responses of graded longitudinal fins subject to step change in base temperature and base heat flux wherein the graded fin materials are theorized to have spatial- and temperature-dependent thermal conductivity. Microstructure variations in graded materials (GMs) are addressed by axially varying the thermal conductivity; because GMs are potentially high-temperature application materials, consequently, thermal conductivity and heat generation are, respectively, assumed as polynomial and linear functions of temperature. Additionally, most of the applicable pragmatic fluid regimes are accounted for using the power law convection coefficient. The numerical solution of a typical nonlinear governing differential equation is obtained by using a particle tracking-based method called the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The LBM is a mesoscopic-based simulation method centered around the principles of kinetic theory and statistical mechanics. The LBM formulation accompanied with the in-house MATLAB code of the aforesaid problem with varying parameters is reported; also, it is validated with a previously available solution. The foregoing analysis is carried out to enhance the performance of a fin by using the superior thermomechanical property of graded materials. Furthermore, the inclusion of temperature-dependent thermophysical properties and heat generation will provide more accurate design data. The reported graph reveals that, even though a linear GM fin tip possesses thermal conductivity that is 25% less in magnitude in comparison to the Type-II homogeneous material (HM-2), the GM fin always yields a higher fin tip temperature because of grading. In addition, the tip temperature deficits between GMs and HM-2 proportionally increase from 0.4 to 2.1% for values of increasing from 0.1 to 2.0, respectively, for step changes in temperature; whereas in the case of the step change base flux, the deficits increase from 8.72 to 12.1% for values of decreasing from 3.0 to 1.0, respectively.

Investigation and validation of the dynamic response of an acoustically levitated particle using the lattice Boltzmann method

The stable levitation of an analyte sample in an acoustic levitator is a primary requirement for accurate x-ray characterization of its scientific structure. A rigid particle oscillates in an under-damped manner when introduced into the node of established standing acoustic waves. This investigation has employed the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), a computational fluid dynamics technique, for the analysis of such rigid particle dynamics in acoustic levitation. The simulation uses the two dimensional and nine velocity (D2Q9) Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook formulation to levitate a rigid 1.6 mm diameter nylon (ρ = 1150 kg/m3) particle in the air at standard pressure and temperature conditions. The presented work is the first reported simulation of realistic acoustic levitator boundary conditions using the LBM. The simulation can capture the particle–fluid interactions that produce dynamic levitation at less than one-period timescale in the ultrasonic frequency regime. An experiment was conducted by levitating a 1.6 mm-diameter nylon sphere to estimate the oscillations, and the oscillating frequency was found to be 50 Hz. The dynamic simulation results are consistent with experimental results for particle oscillations within the same order of magnitude, indicating that LBM formulation can be successfully used to study acoustic levitation to understand and mitigate particle jitter. The distortion of the acoustic field due to a levitating particle’s presence was also analyzed to demonstrate how the presence of the particle can disrupt adjacent levitating nodes.

Comparison of multiphase SPH and LBM approaches for the simulation of intermittent flows

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) are increasingly popular and attractive methods that propose efficient multiphase formulations, each one with its own strengths and weaknesses. In this context, when it comes to study a given multifluid problem, it is helpful to rely on a quantitative comparison to decide which approach should be used and in which context. In particular, the simulation of intermittent two-phase flows in pipes such as slug flows is a complex problem involving moving and intersecting interfaces for which both SPH and LBM could be considered. It is a problem of interest in petroleum applications since the formation of slug flows that can occur in submarine pipelines connecting the wells to the production facility can cause undesired behaviors with hazardous consequences. In this work, we compare SPH and LBM multiphase formulations where surface tension effects are modeled, respectively, using the continuum surface force and the color-gradient approaches on a collection of standard test cases, and on the simulation of intermittent flows in 2D. This paper aims to highlight the contributions and limitations of SPH and LBM when applied to these problems. First, we compare our implementations on static bubble problems with different density and viscosity ratios. Then, we focus on gravity-driven simulations of slug flows in pipes for several Reynolds numbers. Finally, we conclude with simulations of slug flows with inlet/outlet boundary conditions. According to the results presented in this study, we confirm that the SPH approach is more robust and versatile, whereas the LBM formulation is more accurate and faster.

Hybrid lattice Boltzmann-direct simulation Monte Carlo approach for flows in three-dimensional geometries

We present the results of a comparative study performed with three numerical methods applied to a flow in a three-dimensional geometry characterized by weak compressibility and large rarefaction effects. The employed methods, all based on the kinetic theory of gases, are the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) in a regularized formulation, the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) approach and a hybrid method coupling the LBM and the DSMC recently developed by Di Staso et al., in this contribution extended to the case of simulations involving many particles and three-dimensional geometries. Owing to the common kinetic nature shared by the employed methods and to their implementation in a single code infrastructure, a detailed comparison of the results can be performed on a quantitative ground. The numerical results permit to determine, for the studied flow problem, the range of applicability in terms of a geometry-based Knudsen number for the present LBM formulation. The need to employ the hybrid method is justified by the very large computational cost of the DSMC simulation. Limitations of the current hybrid method formulation in treating thermal and large compressibility effects are underlined and possible strategies to overcome them are delineated. Finally, good scalability properties of the parallel algorithms, as well as the large computational cost reduction guaranteed by the hybrid method, while providing an accurate solution, are demonstrated.

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.

Numerical analysis of combined-mode dual-phase-lag heat conduction and radiation in an absorbing, emitting, and scattering cylindrical medium

ABSTRACTCombined-mode dual-phase-lag (DPL) heat conduction and radiation heat transfer is analyzed in a concentric cylindrical enclosure filled with a radiatively absorbing, emitting, and scattering medium. The governing energy equation is incorporated with volumetric radiation as a source term, essentially to take the effect of radiative heat flux into account. While the energy equation is solved using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), the finite volume method (FVM) is used to calculate the radiative information. To establish the accuracy of the proposed LBM formulation, the governing energy equation is also solved with the finite difference method (FDM). Thermal perturbation is caused by suddenly changing the temperature at the boundaries. Radial temperature distributions during transience as well as steady state (SS) are presented for a wide range of parameters such as lag ratio, extinction coefficient, scattering albedo, conduction–radiation (C-R) parameter, boundary emissivity, and radius ratio. Sample results are benchmarked with those available in the literature, and a good agreement between the present and reported results is found.

Lattice Boltzmann method for simulation of time-dependent neutral particle transport

In this paper, a novel model is proposed to investigate the neutron transport in scattering and absorbing medium. This solution to the linear Boltzmann equation is expanded from the idea of lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) with the collision and streaming process. The theoretical derivation of lattice Boltzmann model for transient neutron transport problem is proposed for the first time. The fully implicit backward difference scheme is used to ensure the numerical stability, and relaxation time and equilibrium particle distribution function are obtained. To validate the new lattice Boltzmann model, the LBM formulation is tested for a homogenous media with different sources, and both transient and steady-state LBM results get a good agreement with the benchmark solutions.

Lattice Boltzmann method and RANS approach for simulation of turbulent flows and particle transport and deposition

Using the lattice-Boltzmann computational approach in conjunction with the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) model, several turbulent flows and the transport and deposition of particles in different passages were studied. The new lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) solved the RANS equations coupled with the standard and renormalization group k−ɛ turbulence models. In particular, the LBM formulation was augmented by the addition of two transport equations for the probability distribution function of populations of k and ɛ. The discrete random walk model was used to generate the instantaneous turbulence fluctuations. For turbulent channel flows, the analytical fits to the root mean-square velocity fluctuations obtained by the direct numerical simulation of the turbulent flow were used in the analysis. Attention was given to the proper evaluation of the wall normal turbulent velocity fluctuations particularly near the wall. The simulation results were compared with the available numerical simulation and experimental data. The new LBM–RANS model is shown to provide a reasonably accurate description of turbulent flows and particle transport and deposition at modest computational cost.

A phase-field-lattice Boltzmann method for modeling motion and growth of a dendrite for binary alloy solidification in the presence of melt convection

In this study, a combination of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and the phase-field method (PFM) is used for modeling simultaneous growth and motion of a dendrite during solidification. PFM is used as a numerical tool to simulate the morphological changes of the solid phase, and the fluid flow of the liquid phase is described by using LBM. The no-slip boundary condition at the liquid–solid interface is satisfied by adding a diffusive-forcing term in the LBM formulation. The equations of motion are solved for tracking the translational and rotational motion of the solid phase. The proposed method is easily implemented on a single Cartesian grid and is suitable for parallel computation. Two-dimensional benchmark computations show that the no-slip boundary condition and the shape preservation condition are satisfied in this method. Then, the present method is applied to the calculation of dendritic growth of a binary alloy under melt convection. Initially, the solid is stationary, and then, the solid moves freely due to the influence of fluid flow. Simultaneous growth and motion are effectively simulated. As a result, it is found that motion and melt convection enhance dendritic growth along the flow direction.

Lattice Boltzmann formulation for conjugate heat transfer in heterogeneous media.

In this paper, we propose an approach for studying conjugate heat transfer using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The approach is based on reformulating the lattice Boltzmann equation for solving the conservative form of the energy equation. This leads to the appearance of a source term, which introduces the jump conditions at the interface between two phases or components with different thermal properties. The proposed source term formulation conserves conductive and advective heat flux simultaneously, which makes it suitable for modeling conjugate heat transfer in general multiphase or multicomponent systems. The simple implementation of the source term approach avoids any correction of distribution functions neighboring the interface and provides an algorithm that is independent from the topology of the interface. Moreover, our approach is independent of the choice of lattice discretization and can be easily applied to different advection-diffusion LBM solvers. The model is tested against several benchmark problems including steady-state convection-diffusion within two fluid layers with parallel and normal interfaces with respect to the flow direction, unsteady conduction in a three-layer stratified domain, and steady conduction in a two-layer annulus. The LBM results are in excellent agreement with analytical solution. Error analysis shows that our model is first-order accurate in space, but an extension to a second-order scheme is straightforward. We apply our LBM model to heat transfer in a two-component heterogeneous medium with a random microstructure. This example highlights that the method we propose is independent of the topology of interfaces between the different phases and, as such, is ideally suited for complex natural heterogeneous media. We further validate the present LBM formulation with a study of natural convection in a porous enclosure. The results confirm the reliability of the model in simulating complex coupled fluid and thermal dynamics in complex geometries.

Lattice Boltzmann Method Applied to Radiative Transport Analysis in a Planar Participating Medium

This article deals with the extension of the usage of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) to the analysis of radiative heat transfer with and without conduction in a one-dimensional (1-D) planar participating medium. A novel lattice needed for the calculation of the volumetric radiation spanned over the 4π spherical space has been introduced. The LBM formulation is tested for three benchmark problems, namely, radiative equilibrium, nonradiative equilibrium, and a combined mode conduction–radiation problem in a planar geometry. In the combined mode problem, with radiative information known from the proposed lattice structure, the energy equation is also formulated and solved using the LBM. The D1Q2 lattice is used in the energy equation. For validation, in problems 1 and 2, the LBM results are compared with the finite-volume method (FVM), while in problem 3, the LBM-LBM results are compared with the LBM-FVM in which FVM is used for the computation of radiative information. Comparisons are made for the effects of the governing parameters such as the extinction coefficient, the scattering albedo, and so on, on heat flux and emissive power (temperature) distributions. LBM results are found to be in excellent agreement with the benchmark results.

Noise source identification with the lattice Boltzmann method

In this paper the sound source identification problem is addressed with the use of the lattice Boltzmann method. To this aim, a time-reversed problem coupled to a complex differentiation method is used. In order to circumvent the inherent instability of the time-reversed lattice Boltzmann scheme, a method based on a split of the lattice Boltzmann equation into a mean and a perturbation component is used. Lattice Boltzmann method formulation around an arbitrary base flow is recalled and specific applications to acoustics are presented. The implementation of the noise source detection method for two-dimensional weakly compressible (low Mach number) flows is discussed, and the applicability of the method is demonstrated.

Analysis of conduction–radiation heat transfer during phase change process of semitransparent materials using lattice Boltzmann method

This article deals with the analysis of solidification of a 2-D semitransparent material using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). Both conduction and radiation terms in governing energy equation were computed using the LBM. First, the LBM formulation regarding conduction component was validated and the results analyzed. Next, the results involving phase change or radiation term in the LBM were compared with the finite volume method (FVM). The results show good accuracy and less time consumption during LBM implementation. Finally, temperature distribution, the location of solid-liquid front, mushy zone thickness and the effects of heat transfer parameters were studied.

Performance evaluation of four radiative transfer methods in solving multi-dimensional radiation and/or conduction heat transfer problems

This article reports results of the four popular and widely used numerical methods, viz., the Monte Carlo method (MCM), the discrete transfer method (DTM), the discrete ordinates method (DOM) and the finite volume method (FVM) used to calculate radiative information in any thermal problem. Different classes of problems dealing with radiation and/or conduction heat transfer problems in a 2-D rectangular absorbing, emitting and scattering participating medium have been considered. In radiative equilibrium and non-radiative equilibrium cases, the MCM results have been used as the benchmark data for comparing the performances of the DTM, the DOM and the FVM. In the combined radiation and conduction mode problem, the energy equation has been formulated using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). To compare the performance of the DTM, the DOM and the FVM, the required radiative field data computed using these methods have been provided to the LBM formulation. Temperature distributions obtained using the four methods and those obtained from the LBM in conjunction with the DTM, the DOM and the FVM have been compared for different parameters such as the extinction coefficient, the scattering albedo, the conduction-radiation parameter, the wall emissivity, the aspect ratio and heat generation rate. In all the cases, results of these methods have been found in good agreements. Computationally, the DTM was found the most time consuming, and the DOM was computationally the most efficient.

Analysis of transport of collimated radiation in a participating media using the lattice Boltzmann method

Application of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) recently proposed by Asinari et al. [Asinari P, Mishra SC, Borchiellini R. A lattice Boltzmann formulation to the analysis of radiative heat transfer problems in a participating medium. Numer Heat Transfer B 2010; 57:126–146] is extended to the analysis of transport of collimated radiation in a planar participating medium. To deal with azimuthally symmetric radiation in planar medium, a new lattice structure for the LBM is used. The transport of the collimated component in the medium is analysed by two different, viz., flux splitting and direct approaches. For different angles of incidence of the collimated radiation, the LBM formulation is tested for the effects of the extinction coefficient, the anisotropy factor, and the boundary emissivities on heat flux and emissive power distributions. Results are compared with the benchmark results obtained using the finite volume method. Both the approaches in LBM provide accurate results.

Lattice Boltzmann method for population balance equations with simultaneous growth, nucleation, aggregation and breakage

Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is developed for solution of one-dimensional population balance equations (PBEs) with simultaneous growth, nucleation, aggregation and breakage. Aggregation and breakage, which act as source terms in PBEs, are included as force terms in LBM formulation. The force terms representing aggregation and breakage are evaluated by fixed pivot (FP) method. Multiscale analysis is used to derive the kinetic equations associated with LBM, whose long-time large-scale solution provides the solution of the PBE. A coordinate transformation is proposed, which allows the use of non-uniform grid for LBM to obtain accurate solution of PBE with moderate number of grid points. The performance of the proposed LBM-FP method is compared with finite volume (FV) and method of characteristics (MOC) combined with FP (MOC-FP) methods. Using benchmark examples, the proposed LBM-FP method is shown to be useful for solving PBEs due to its computational efficiency and ability to handle a wide range of problems.

An Inverse Analysis for Parameter Estimation Applied to a Non-Fourier Conduction–Radiation Problem

Retrieval of parameters in a non-Fourier conduction and radiation heat transfer problem is reported. The direct problem is formulated using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and the finite-volume method (FVM). The divergence of radiative heat flux is computed using the FVM, and the LBM formulation is employed to obtain the temperature field. In the inverse method, this temperature field is taken as exact. Simultaneous estimation of parameters, namely, the extinction coefficient and the conduction–radiation parameter, is done by minimizing the objective function. The genetic algorithm (GA) is used for this purpose. The accuracies of the estimated parameters are studied for the effects of measurement errors and genetic parameters such as the crossover and mutation probabilities, the population size, and the number of generations. The LBM-FVM in combination with GA has been found to provide a correct estimate of parameters.

A Lattice Boltzmann Formulation for the Analysis of Radiative Heat Transfer Problems in a Participating Medium

Use of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) has been extended to analyze radiative transport problems in an absorbing, emitting, and scattering medium. In terms of collision and streaming, the present approach of the LBM for radiative heat transfer is similar to those being used in fluid dynamics and heat transfer for the analyses of conduction and convection problems. However, to mitigate the effect of the isotropy in the polar direction, in the present LBM approach, lattices with more number of directions than those being used for the 2-D system have been employed. The LBM formulation has been validated by solving benchmark radiative equilibrium problems in 1-D and 2-D Cartesian geometry. Temperature and heat flux distributions have been obtained for a wide range of extinction coefficients. The LBM results have been compared against the results obtained from the finite-volume method (FVM). Good comparison has been obtained. The numbers of iterations and CPU times for the LBM and the FVM have also been compared. The number of iterations in the LBM has been found to be much more than the FVM. However, computationally, the LBM has been found to be much faster than the FVM.

Dynamics of Isotropic Homogeneous Turbulence with Linear Forcing Using a Lattice Boltzmann Method

The Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) has proved to be a promising approach to solve the Navier–Stokes equations, especially for incompressible and isothermal cases. For turbulent flows, the quality of the predictions has been previously studied considering standard spectral forced (ten Cate et al., Comput Fluids 35:1239–1251, 2006) statistically homogeneous isotropic turbulence. In the present contribution, a recently proposed linear forcing scheme working in physical space (Lundgren 2003; Rosales and Meneveau, Phys Fluids 17(9):095106–1,8, 2005) has been integrated in a three-dimensional fifteen-velocity LBM formulation. Results have been analyzed, with special attention to the dynamics of the flow through the invariants of the velocity tensor. This topic had not been studied yet for the linear forcing, regardless of the nature (spectral or LBM) of the numerical method. Results fully agree with standard pseudo-spectral direct numerical simulations, results proving the validity of the LBM with linear forcing in real space to study this kind of turbulent flows.

Analysis of Solidification of a Semitransparent Planar Layer Using the Lattice Boltzmann Method and the Discrete Transfer Method

ABSTRACT This article deals with the analysis of solidification of a semitransparent material. The solidification was assumed to occur at a range of temperatures and thus the presence of a mushy zone was considered. The governing energy equation in terms of an enthalpy formulation was considered. The equivalence of the enthalpy-based governing equation in the continuum approach was derived for the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The radiative component of the energy equation in the LBM formulation was computed using the discrete transfer method. The LBM formulation was first validated by solving solidification of a radiatively opaque planar material. Next, effects of various parameters such as the extinction coefficient, the scattering albedo, the anisotropy factor, the conduction-radiation parameter, and the latent heat on temperature distribution in three zones and the location of the mushy zone were studied. These parameters were found to have significant bearing on the results.