Lattice Boltzmann method for computational aeroacoustics on non-uniform meshes: a direct grid coupling approach

The present study proposes a highly accurate lattice Boltzmann direct coupling cell-vertex algorithm, well suited for industrial purposes, making it highly valuable for aeroacoustic applications. It is indeed known that the convection of vortical structures across a grid refinement interface, where cell size is abruptly doubled, is likely to generate spurious noise that may corrupt the solution over the whole computational domain. This issue becomes critical in the case of aeroacoustic simulations, where accurate pressure estimations are of paramount importance. Consequently, any interfering noise that may pollute the acoustic predictions must be reduced. The proposed grid refinement algorithm differs from conventionally used ones, in which an overlapping mesh layer is considered. Instead, it provides a direct connection allowing a tighter link between fine and coarse grids, especially with the use of a coherent equilibrium function shared by both grids. Moreover, the direct coupling makes the algorithm more local and prevents the duplication of points, which might be detrimental for massive parallelization. This work follows our first study (Astoul~\textit{et al. 2020}) on the deleterious effect of non-hydrodynamic modes crossing mesh transitions, which can be addressed using an appropriate collision model. The Hybrid Recursive Regularized model is then used for this study. The grid coupling algorithm is assessed and compared to a widely-used cell-vertex algorithm on an acoustic pulse test case, a convected vortex and a turbulent circular cylinder wake flow at high Reynolds number.Comment: also submitted to Journal of Computational Physic

Analysis and reduction of spurious noise generated at grid refinement interfaces with the lattice Boltzmann method

The present study focuses on the unphysical effects induced by the use of non-uniform grids in the lattice Boltzmann method. In particular, the convection of vortical structures across a grid refinement interface is likely to generate spurious noise that may impact the whole computation domain. This issue becomes critical in the case of aeroacoustic simulations, where accurate pressure estimations are of paramount importance. The purpose of this article is to identify the issues occurring at the interface and to propose possible solutions yielding significant improvements for aeroacoustic simulations. More specifically, this study highlights the critical involvement of non-physical modes in the generation of spurious vorticity and acoustics. The identification of these modes is made possible thanks to linear stability analyses performed in the fluid core, and non-hydrodynamic sensors specifically developed to systematically emphasize them during a simulation. Investigations seeking pure acoustic waves and sheared flows allow for isolating the contribution of each mode. An important result is that spurious wave generation is intrinsically due to the change in the grid resolution (i.e. aliasing) independently of the details of the grid transition algorithm. Finally, the solution proposed to minimize spurious wave amplitude consists of choosing an appropriate collision model in the fluid core so as to cancel the non-hydrodynamic mode contribution regardless the grid coupling algorithm. Results are validated on a convected vortex and on a turbulent flow around a cylinder where a huge reduction of both spurious noise and vorticity are obtained.Comment: Submitted to Journal of Computational Physics May201