High Density Ratio Multi-Component Lattice Boltzmann Flow Model for Fluid Dynamics and CUDA Parallel Computation

The lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) method is a promising technique for simulating fluid flows and modeling complex physics in fluids, and can be modified for solving general nonlinear partial differential equations (NPDEs). The LBE method has recently attracted more and more attention since it may help us to better understand the mechanisms of the complicated physical phenomena and dynamic processes modeled by NPDEs.In this dissertation, firstly, we developed a second-order accurate mass conserving boundary condition (BC) for the LBE method. Through several cases, the results show that our mass conserving BC will not result in the constant mass leakage that occurs for the other BCs in some cases. Additionally, it increases the efficiency and stability of the method for cases that involve relatively large magnitudes of body force.Secondly, we developed a multi-component and multi-phase LBE method for high density ratios. Multi-component multi-phase (MCMP) flow is very common in engineering or industrial problems and in nature. Because the lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) model is based on microscopic models and mesoscopic kinetic equations, it offers many advantages for the study of multi-component or multi-phase flow problems. While the original formulation of Shan and Chen's(SC) model can incorporate some multiple phase and component scenarios, the density ratio of the different components is greatly restricted (less than approximately 2.0). This obviously limits the applications of this MCMP LBE model. Hence, based on the original SC MCMP model and the improvements in the single-component multi-phase (SCMP) flow model reported by Yuan and Schaefer, we have developed a new model that can simulate a MCMP system with a high density ratio.Finally, we developed a parallel computation LBE method based on Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA). CUDA offers a great economic alternative way to increase the calculation speed of LBE method instead of using a supercomputer. We present how to apply CUDA to the LBE method, including boundary condition treatments, single phase flow, thermal problems, and multi-phase cases. Through the results of several numerical experiments, our model with the help of CUDA can offer an improvement of a 10-30 times faster speed than that of a traditional single thread CPU code

A volume-preserving sharpening approach for the propagation of sharp phase boundaries in multiphase lattice Boltzmann simulations

Lattice Boltzmann models that recover a macroscopic description of multiphase flow of immiscible liquids typically represent the boundaries between phases using a scalar function, the phase field, that varies smoothly over several grid points. Attempts to tune the model parameters to minimise the thicknesses of these interfaces typically lead to the interfaces becoming fixed to the underlying grid instead of advecting with the fluid velocity. This phenomenon, known as lattice pinning, is strikingly similar to that associated with the numerical simulation of conservation laws coupled to stiff algebraic source terms. We present a lattice Boltzmann formulation of the model problem proposed by LeVeque and Yee [J. Comput. Phys. 86, 187] to study the latter phenomenon in the context of computational combustion, and offer a volume-conserving extension in multiple space dimensions. Inspired by the random projection method of Bao and Jin [J. Comput. Phys. 163, 216] we further generalise this formulation by introducing a uniformly distributed quasi-random variable into the term responsible for the sharpening of phase boundaries. This method is mass conserving and the statistical average of this method is shown to significantly delay the onset of pinning

Dynamic wetting for continuum hydrodynamics with multi-component Lattice Boltzmann equation simulation method

This paper was presented at the 2nd Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2009), which was held at Brunel University, West London, UK. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, IPEM, the Italian Union of Thermofluid dynamics, the Process Intensification Network, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group and the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.We present methodological innovations to the multi-component lattice Boltzmann equation simulation method which allow for the simulation of dynamic contact lines in the continuum approximation. The improvements are set-out and verified by quantitative results. They allow the simulator access to an expanded range of simulation parameters like viscosity, viscosity contrast and interfacial tensions, and to obtain data with low levels of interfacial micro-current activity in the region of the dynamic contact line

Mesoscopic modeling of a two-phase flow in the presence of boundaries: the Contact Angle

We present a mesoscopic model, based on the Boltzmann Equation, for the interaction between a solid wall and a non-ideal fluid. We present an analytic derivation of the contact angle in terms of the surface tension between the liquid-gas, the liquid-solid and the gas-solid phases. We study the dependency of the contact angle on the two free parameters of the model, which determine the interaction between the fluid and the boundaries, i.e. the equivalent of the wall density and of the wall-fluid potential in Molecular Dynamics studies. We compare the analytical results obtained in the hydrodynamical limit for the density profile and for the surface tension expression with the numerical simulations. We compare also our two-phase approach with some exact results for a pure hydrodynamical incompressible fluid based on Navier-Stokes equations with boundary conditions made up of alternating slip and no-slip strips. Finally, we show how to overcome some theoretical limitations connected with a discretized Boltzmann scheme and we discuss the equivalence between the surface tension defined in terms of the mechanical equilibrium and in terms of the Maxwell construction.Comment: 29 pages, 12 figure

A Lattice Boltzmann Method for the Advection-Diffusion Equation with Neumann Boundary Conditions

In this paper, we study a lattice Boltzmann method for the advection-diffusion equation with Neumann boundary conditions on general boundaries. A novel mass conservative scheme is introduced for implementing such boundary con- ditions, and is analyzed both theoretically and numerically. Second order convergence is predicted by the theoretical analysis, and numerical investigations show that the convergence is at or close to the predicted rate. The nu- merical investigations include time-dependent problems and a steady-state diffusion problem for computation of effective diffusion coefficients