Interface-capturing lattice Boltzmann equation model for two-phase flows

Free-Energy-Based Discrete Unified Gas Kinetic Scheme for van der Waals Fluid

The multiphase model based on free-energy theory has been experiencing long-term prosperity for its solid foundation and succinct implementation. To identify the main hindrance to developing a free-energy-based discrete unified gas-kinetic scheme (DUGKS), we introduced the classical lattice Boltzmann free-energy model into the DUGKS implemented with different flux reconstruction schemes. It is found that the force imbalance amplified by the reconstruction errors prevents the direct application of the free-energy model to the DUGKS. By coupling the well-balanced free-energy model with the DUGKS, the influences of the amplified force imbalance are entirely removed. Comparative results demonstrated a consistent performance of the well-balanced DUGKS despite the reconstruction schemes utilized. The capability of the DUGKS coupled with the well-balanced free-energy model was quantitatively validated by the coexisting density curves and Laplace's law. In the quiescent droplet test, the magnitude of spurious currents is reduced to a machine accuracy of 10-15. Aside from the excellent performance of the well-balanced DUGKS in predicting steady-state multiphase flows, the spinodal decomposition test and the droplet coalescence test revealed its stability problems in dealing with transient flows. Further improvements are required on this point.

Alternative wetting boundary condition for the chemical-potential-based free-energy lattice Boltzmann model

The free-energy lattice Boltzmann (LB) method is a multiphase LB approach based on the thermodynamic theory. Compared with traditional free-energy LB models, which employ a nonideal thermodynamic pressure tensor, the chemical-potential-based free-energy LB model has attracted much attention in recent years as it avoids computing the thermodynamic pressure tensor and its divergence. In this paper, we propose an improved wetting boundary condition for the chemical-potential-based free-energy LB model. Different from the original wetting boundary condition in the literature, the improved wetting boundary condition utilizes a surface chemical potential that is compatible with the chemical potential of the fluid domain. Accordingly, the thermodynamic consistency of the chemical-potential-based free-energy LB model can be retained by the improved wetting boundary condition. Numerical simulations are performed for droplets resting on flat and cylindrical surfaces with different contact angles. The numerical results show that the improved wetting boundary condition yields more reasonable results and the maximum spurious velocities are found to be smaller by 2 ∼ 3 orders of magnitude than those produced by the original wetting boundary condition.

Achieving thermodynamic consistency in a class of free-energy multiphase lattice Boltzmann models

The free-energy lattice Boltzmann (LB) model is one of the major multiphase models in the LB community. The present study is focused on a class of free-energy LB models in which the divergence of thermodynamic pressure tensor or its equivalent form expressed by the chemical potential is incorporated into the LB equation via a forcing term. Although this class of free-energy LB models may be thermodynamically consistent at the continuum level, it suffers from thermodynamic inconsistency at the discrete lattice level owing to numerical errors [Guo et al., Phys. Rev. E 83, 036707 (2010)10.1103/PhysRevE.83.036707]. The numerical error term mainly includes two parts: one comes from the discrete gradient operator and the other can be identified in a high-order Chapman-Enskog analysis. In this paper, we propose an improved scheme to eliminate the thermodynamic inconsistency of the aforementioned class of free-energy LB models. The improved scheme is constructed by modifying the equation of state of the standard LB equation, through which the discretization of ∇(ρc_{s}^{2}) is no longer involved in the force calculation and then the numerical errors can be significantly reduced. Numerical simulations are subsequently performed to validate the proposed scheme. The numerical results show that the improved scheme is capable of eliminating the thermodynamic inconsistency and can significantly reduce the spurious currents in comparison with the standard forcing-based free-energy LB model.

Mixed bounce-back boundary scheme of the general propagation lattice Boltzmann method for advection-diffusion equations

In this work, a mixed bounce-back boundary scheme of general propagation lattice Boltzmann (GPLB) model is proposed for isotropic advection-diffusion equations (ADEs) with Robin boundary condition, and a detailed asymptotic analysis is also conducted to show that the present boundary scheme for the straight walls has a second-order accuracy in space. In addition, several numerical examples, including the Helmholtz equation in a square domain, the diffusion equation with sinusoidal concentration gradient, one-dimensional transient ADE with Robin boundary and an ADE with a source term, are also considered. The results indicate that the numerical solutions agree well with the analytical ones, and the convergence rate is close to 2.0. Furthermore, through adjusting the two parameters in the GPLB model properly, the present boundary scheme can be more accurate than some existing lattice Boltzmann boundary schemes.

General propagation lattice Boltzmann model for nonlinear advection-diffusion equations

In this paper, a general propagation lattice Boltzmann model is proposed for nonlinear advection-diffusion equations (NADEs), and the Chapman-Enskog analysis shows that the NADEs with variable coefficients can be recovered correctly from the present model. We also perform some simulations of the linear advection-diffusion equation, nonlinear heat conduction equation, NADEs with anisotropic diffusion, and variable coefficients to test the present model, and find that the numerical results agree well with the corresponding analytical solutions. Moreover, it is also shown that by properly adjusting the two free parameters introduced into the propagation step, the present model could be more stable and more accurate than the standard lattice Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook model.