Initialization of lattice Boltzmann models with the help of the numerical Chapman-Enskog expansion

We extend the applicability of the numerical Chapman-Enskog expansion as a lifting operator for lattice Boltzmann models to map density and momentum to distribution functions. In earlier work [Vanderhoydonc et al. Multiscale Model. Simul. 10(3): 766-791, 2012] such an expansion was constructed in the context of lifting only the zeroth order velocity moment, namely the density. A lifting operator is necessary to convert information from the macroscopic to the mesoscopic scale. This operator is used for the initialization of lattice Boltzmann models. Given only density and momentum, the goal is to initialize the distribution functions of lattice Boltzmann models. For this initialization, the numerical Chapman-Enskog expansion is used in this paper.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1108.491

Numerical extraction of a macroscopic pde and a lifting operator from a lattice Boltzmann model

Lifting operators play an important role in starting a lattice Boltzmann model from a given initial density. The density, a macroscopic variable, needs to be mapped to the distribution functions, mesoscopic variables, of the lattice Boltzmann model. Several methods proposed as lifting operators have been tested and discussed in the literature. The most famous methods are an analytically found lifting operator, like the Chapman-Enskog expansion, and a numerical method, like the Constrained Runs algorithm, to arrive at an implicit expression for the unknown distribution functions with the help of the density. This paper proposes a lifting operator that alleviates several drawbacks of these existing methods. In particular, we focus on the computational expense and the analytical work that needs to be done. The proposed lifting operator, a numerical Chapman-Enskog expansion, obtains the coefficients of the Chapman-Enskog expansion numerically. Another important feature of the use of lifting operators is found in hybrid models. There the lattice Boltzmann model is spatially coupled with a model based on a more macroscopic description, for example an advection-diffusion-reaction equation. In one part of the domain, the lattice Boltzmann model is used, while in another part, the more macroscopic model. Such a hybrid coupling results in missing data at the interfaces between the different models. A lifting operator is then an important tool since the lattice Boltzmann model is typically described by more variables than a model based on a macroscopic partial differential equation.Comment: submitted to SIAM MM

Thermal fluctuations and boundary conditions in the lattice Boltzmann method

The lattice Boltzmann method is a popular approach for simulating hydrodynamic interactions in soft matter and complex fluids. The solvent is represented on a discrete lattice whose nodes are populated by particle distributions that propagate on the discrete links between the nodes and undergo local collisions. On large length and time scales, the microdynamics leads to a hydrodynamic flow field that satisfies the Navier-Stokes equation. In this thesis, several extensions to the lattice Boltzmann method are developed. In complex fluids, for example suspensions, Brownian motion of the solutes is of paramount importance. However, it can not be simulated with the original lattice Boltzmann method because the dynamics is completely deterministic. It is possible, though, to introduce thermal fluctuations in order to reproduce the equations of fluctuating hydrodynamics. In this work, a generalized lattice gas model is used to systematically derive the fluctuating lattice Boltzmann equation from statistical mechanics principles. The stochastic part of the dynamics is interpreted as a Monte Carlo process, which is then required to satisfy the condition of detailed balance. This leads to an expression for the thermal fluctuations which implies that it is essential to thermalize all degrees of freedom of the system, including the kinetic modes. The new formalism guarantees that the fluctuating lattice Boltzmann equation is simultaneously consistent with both fluctuating hydrodynamics and statistical mechanics. This establishes a foundation for future extensions, such as the treatment of multi-phase and thermal flows. An important range of applications for the lattice Boltzmann method is formed by microfluidics. Fostered by the “lab-on-a-chip” paradigm, there is an increasing need for computer simulations which are able to complement the achievements of theory and experiment. Microfluidic systems are characterized by a large surface-to-volume ratio and, therefore, boundary conditions are of special relevance. On the microscale, the standard no-slip boundary condition used in hydrodynamics has to be replaced by a slip boundary condition. In this work, a boundary condition for lattice Boltzmann is constructed that allows the slip length to be tuned by a single model parameter. Furthermore, a conceptually new approach for constructing boundary conditions is explored, where the reduced symmetry at the boundary is explicitly incorporated into the lattice model. The lattice Boltzmann method is systematically extended to the reduced symmetry model. In the case of a Poiseuille flow in a plane channel, it is shown that a special choice of the collision operator is required to reproduce the correct flow profile. This systematic approach sheds light on the consequences of the reduced symmetry at the boundary and leads to a deeper understanding of boundary conditions in the lattice Boltzmann method. This can help to develop improved boundary conditions that lead to more accurate simulation results

Modeling flue pipes--subsonic flow, lattice Boltzmann, and parallel distributed computers

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1995.Includes bibliographical references (p. 251-256).by Panayotis A. Skordos.Ph.D

Regularized characteristic boundary condition for the Lattice Boltzmann methods at high Reynolds number flows

This paper reports the investigations done to adapt the Characteristic Boundary Conditions (CBC) to the Lattice-Boltzmann formalism for high Reynolds number applications. Three CBC formalisms are implemented and tested in an open source LBM code: the baseline one-dimension inviscid (BL-LODI) approach, its extension including the effects of the transverse terms (CBC-2D) and a local streamline approach in which the problem is reformulated in the incident wave framework (LS-LODI). Then all implementations of the CBC methods are tested for a variety of test cases, ranging from canonical problems (such as 2D plane and spherical waves and 2D vortices) to a 2D NACA profile at high Reynolds number (Re = 100,000), representative of aeronautic applications. The LS-LODI approach provides the best results for pure acoustics waves (plane and spherical waves). However, it is not well suited to the outflow of a convected vortex for which the CBC-2D associated with a relaxation on density and transverse waves provides the best results. As regards numerical stability, a regularized adaptation is necessary to increase the Reynolds number. The so-called regularized FD adaptation, a modified regularized approach where the off-equilibrium part of the stress tensor is computed thanks to a finite difference scheme, is the only tested adaptation that can handle the high Reynolds computation