Lattice Boltzmann equation method for the Cahn-Hilliard equation

Lattice Boltzmann equation for convection-diffusion flows with Neumann boundary condition

In this work, a lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) is developed to convection-diffusion flows with Neumann boundary condition in complex geometry. The physical fluid domain together with the physical boundary is extended to a large domain similar to the fictitious domain method, and the original convection-diffusion equation (CDE) is reformulated for the large domain, where the Neumann boundary condition is naturally incorporated to CDE without separated explicit treatment. Based on this extended CDE for the large domain, the LBE solver is designed accordingly. Several classical simulations of pure thermal diffusion/natural convection between two concentrated cylinders, natural convection flow around a circular cylinder with constant heat flux in square cavity, and mixed convection flow in a square lid-driven cavity with a circular cylinder are carried out to validate the present method. Numerical results show that the predictions by present LBE agree well with theoretical or other results.

Conservative phase-field-based lattice Boltzmann equation for gas-liquid-solid flow

In this paper, a conservative phase-field based lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) is developed to simulate gas-liquid-solid flows with large fluid density contrasts. In this model, the gas-liquid interface is captured by the conservative Allen-Cahn equation (CACE), where an additional source term is incorporated to realize the wettability of solid structure. Subsequently, a LBE is designed to solve this modified CACE (MCACE), while the two-phase flow field is resolved by using another classical incompressible LBE, and the fluid-solid interaction force is calculated by smoothed-profile method (SPM). Several classical simulations are conducted to demonstrate the capability of the present MCACE-LBE-SPM for simulating gas-liquid-solid flows, including a droplet spreading on a static wettable cylinder, a wettable cylinder floating on the gas-liquid interface without gravity, capillary interactions between two wettable cylinders under gravity, and multiple horizontal cylinders in gas-liquid channel flow. Numerical results indicate that the predictions by present MCACE-LBE-SPM are in good agreement with the theoretical or previous numerical results.

Phase-field lattice Boltzmann equation for wettable particle fluid dynamics

In this paper a phase-field based lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) is developed to simulate wettable particles fluid dynamics together with the smoothed-profile method (SPM). In this model the evolution of a fluid-fluid interface is captured by the conservative Allen-Cahn equation (CACE) LBE, and the flow field is solved by a classical incompressible LBE. The solid particle is represent by SPM, and the fluid-solid interaction force is calculated by direct force method. Some benchmark tests including a single wettable particle trapped at the fluid-fluid interface without gravity, capillary interactions between two wettable particles under gravity, and sinking of a horizontal cylinder through an air-water interface are carried out to validate present CACE LBE for fluid-fluid-solid flows. Raft sinking of multiple horizontal cylinders (up to five cylinders) through an air-water interface is further investigated with the present CACE LBE, and a nontrivial dynamics with an unusual nonmonotonic motion of the multiple cylinders is observed in the vertical plane. Numerical results show that the predictions by the present LBE are in good agreement with theoretical solutions and experimental data.

Reduction-consistent phase-field lattice Boltzmann equation for N immiscible incompressible fluids

In this paper, we develop a reduction-consistent conservative phase-field method for interface-capturing among N (N≥ 2) immiscible fluids, which is governed by conservative Allen-Cahn equation (CACE); here the reduction-consistent property is that if only M (1≤M≤N-1) immiscible fluids are present in a N-phase system, the governing equations for N immiscible fluids must reduce to the corresponding M immiscible fluids system. Then we propose a reduction-consistent lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) method for solving N immiscible incompressible fluids with high density and viscosity contrasts. Some numerical simulations are carried out to validate the present LBE such as stationary droplets, spreading of a liquid lens, and spinodal decomposition together with the reduction-consistent property, and the numerical results predicted by present LBE are in good agreement with the analytical solutions/other numerical results, which also demonstrate the reduction-consistent property by present LBE.

Multiphase flows of N immiscible incompressible fluids: Conservative Allen-Cahn equation and lattice Boltzmann equation method

In this paper, we develop a conservative phase-field method for interface-capturing among N (N≥2) immiscible fluids, the evolution of the fluid-fluid interface is captured by conservative Allen-Cahn equation (CACE), and the interface force of N immiscible fluids is incorporated to Navier-Stokes equation (NSE) by chemical potential form. Accordingly, we propose a lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) method for solving N (N≥2) immiscible incompressible NSE and CACE at high density and viscosity contrasts. Numerical simulations including stationary droplets, Rayleigh-Taylor instability, spreading of liquid lenses, and spinodal decompositions are carried out to show the accuracy and capability of present LBE, and the results show that the predictions by use of the present LBE agree well with the analytical solutions and/or other numerical results.

Conservative phase-field method with a parallel and adaptive-mesh-refinement technique for interface tracking

Based on Fick's second law and Cahn-Hilliard theory, a conservative phase-field model is developed to track interface. The phase-field variable changes in a hyperbolic tangent behavior across the diffuse interface over which the interface curvature can be easily calculated. Different from the frequently used lattice-Boltzmann-based discrete method, the phase-field equation is discretized using a fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. Accordingly, the present numerical scheme alleviates the programming burden, reduces the memory usage, but maintains a high numerical accuracy. To achieve large-scale interface tracking, a parallel and adaptive-mesh-refinement algorithm is developed to reduce the computing overhead. Various cases of the interface evolutions under steady flow fields indicate that the proposed numerical scheme can capture the interface with high accuracy. Furthermore, the robustness of the numerical scheme is validated by simulating the Rayleigh-Taylor instability, and good agreement with previous work is achieved.

Phase-field-theory-based lattice Boltzmann equation method for N immiscible incompressible fluids

From the phase field theory, we develop a lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) method for N (N≥2) immiscible incompressible fluids, and the Cahn-Hilliard equation, which could capture the interfaces between different phases, is also solved by LBE for an N-phase system. In this model, the interface force of N immiscible incompressible fluids is incorporated by chemical potential form, and the fluid-fluid surface tensions could be directly calculated and independently tuned. Numerical simulations including two stationary droplets, spreading of a liquid lens with and without gravity and two immiscible liquid lenses, and phase separation are conducted to validate the present LBE, and numerical results show that the predictions by LBE agree well with the analytical solutions and other numerical results.

Phase-field method based on discrete unified gas-kinetic scheme for large-density-ratio two-phase flows

In this paper, a phase-field method under the framework of discrete unified gas-kinetic scheme (DUGKS) for incompressible multiphase fluid flows is proposed. Two kinetic models are constructed to solve the conservative Allen-Cahn equation that accounts for the interface behavior and the incompressible hydrodynamic equations that govern the flow field, respectively. With a truncated equilibrium distribution function as well as a temporal derivative added to the source term, the macroscopic governing equations can be exactly recovered from the kinetic models through the Chapman-Enskog analysis. Calculation of source terms involving high-order derivatives existed in the quasi-incompressible model is simplified. A series of benchmark cases including four interface-capturing tests and four binary flow tests are carried out. Results compared to that of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) have been obtained. A convergence rate of second order can be guaranteed in the test of interface diagonal translation. The capability of the present method to track the interface that undergoes a severe deformation has been verified. Stationary bubble and spinodal decomposition problems, both with a density ratio as high as 1000, are conducted and reliable solutions have been provided. The layered Poiseuille flow with a large viscosity ratio is simulated and numerical results agree well with the analytical solutions. Variation of positions of the bubble front and spike tip during the evolution of Rayleigh-Taylor instability has been predicted precisely. However, the detailed depiction of complicated interface patterns appearing during the evolution process is failed, which is mainly caused by the relatively large numerical dissipation of DUGKS compared to that of LBM. A high-order DUGKS is needed to overcome this problem.

High-order lattice-Boltzmann model for the Cahn-Hilliard equation

The Cahn-Hilliard equation (CHE) is widely used in modeling two-phase fluid flows, and it is critical to solve this equation accurately to track the interface between the two phases. In this paper, a high-order lattice Boltzmann equation model is developed for the CHE via the fourth-order Chapman-Enskog expansion. A truncation error analysis is performed, and the leading error term proportional to the Peclet number is identified. The results are further confirmed by the Maxwell iteration. With the inclusion of a correction term for eliminating the main error term, the proposed model is able to recover the CHE up to third order. The proposed model is tested by several benchmark problems. The results show that the present model is capable of tracking the interface with improved accuracy and stability in comparison with the second-order one.

Mass conservative lattice Boltzmann scheme for a three-dimensional diffuse interface model with Peng-Robinson equation of state

Peng-Robinson (P-R) equation of state (EOS) has been widely used in the petroleum industry for hydrocarbon fluids. In this work, a three-dimensional diffuse interface model with P-R EOS for two-phase fluid system is solved by the lattice Boltzmann (LB) method. In this diffuse interface model, an Allen-Cahn (A-C) type phase equation with strong nonlinear source term is derived. Using the multiscale Chapman-Enskog analysis, the A-C type phase equation can be recovered from the proposed LB method. Besides, a Lagrange multiplier is introduced based on the mesoscopic character of the LB scheme so that total mass of the hydrocarbon system is preserved. Three-dimensional numerical simulations of realistic hydrocarbon components, such as isobutane and propane, are implemented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed mass conservative LB scheme. Numerical results reach a better agreement with laboratory data compared to previous results of two-dimensional numerical simulations.

Analysis of force treatment in the pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann equation method

In this paper, different force treatments are analyzed in detail for a pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE), and the contribution of third-order error terms to pressure tensor with a force scheme is analyzed by a higher-order Chapman-Enskog expansion technique. From the theoretical analysis, the performance of the original force treatment of Shan-Chen (SC), Ladd, Guo et al., and the exact difference method (EDM) are ɛ_{Ladd}<ɛ_{Guo}<ɛ_{EDM}≤ɛ_{SC} with the relaxation time τ≥1, while ɛ_{Ladd}<ɛ_{Guo}<ɛ_{SC}<ɛ_{EDM} with τ<1; here ɛ is a parameter related to the mechanical stability and the subscripts are the corresponding force scheme. To be consistent with the thermodynamic theory, a force term is introduced to modify the coefficients in the pressure tensor. Some numerical simulations are conducted to show that the predictions of modified force treatment of the pseudopotential LBE are all in good agreement with the analytical solution and other predictions.

Pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann equation method for two-phase flow: A higher-order Chapmann-Enskog expansion

In this paper, a higher order Chapmann-Enskog expansion technique is applied to pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE), and the contribution of third order error terms to pressure tensor is analyzed in detail. To be consistent with the thermodynamic theory, a force term is introduced to modify the coefficients in the pressure tensor. Some numerical simulations are conducted to validate the LBE, and the results show that the predictions of the present LBE agree well with the analytical solution and other predictions.

Lattice Boltzmann method for binary fluids based on mass-conserving quasi-incompressible phase-field theory

In this paper, a lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) model is proposed for binary fluids based on a quasi-incompressible phase-field model [J. Shen et al., Commun. Comput. Phys. 13, 1045 (2013)10.4208/cicp.300711.160212a]. Compared with the other incompressible LBE models based on the incompressible phase-field theory, the quasi-incompressible model conserves mass locally. A series of numerical simulations are performed to validate the proposed model, and comparisons with an incompressible LBE model [H. Liang et al., Phys. Rev. E 89, 053320 (2014)PLEEE81539-375510.1103/PhysRevE.89.053320] are also carried out. It is shown that the proposed model can track the interface accurately. As the stationary droplet and rising bubble problems, the quasi-incompressible LBE gives nearly the same predictions as the incompressible model, but the compressible effect in the present model plays a significant role in the phase separation problem. Therefore, in general cases the present mass-conserving model should be adopted.

Lattice Boltzmann simulation of three-dimensional Rayleigh-Taylor instability

In this paper, the three-dimensional (3D) Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) with low Atwood number (A(t)=0.15) in a long square duct (12W × W × W) is studied by using a multiple-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann (LB) multiphase model. The effect of the Reynolds number on the interfacial dynamics and bubble and spike amplitudes at late time is investigated in detail. The numerical results show that at sufficiently large Reynolds numbers, a sequence of stages in the 3D immiscible RTI can be observed, which includes the linear growth, terminal velocity growth, reacceleration, and chaotic development stages. At late stage, the RTI induces a very complicated topology structure of the interface, and an abundance of dissociative drops are also observed in the system. The bubble and spike velocities at late stage are unstable and their values have exceeded the predictions of the potential flow theory [V. N. Goncharov, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 134502 (2002)]. The acceleration of the bubble front is also measured and it is found that the normalized acceleration at late time fluctuates around a constant value of 0.16. When the Reynolds number is reduced to small values, some later stages cannot be reached sequentially. The interface becomes relatively smoothed and the bubble velocity at late time is approximate to a constant value, which coincides with the results of the extended Layzer model [S.-I. Sohn, Phys. Rev. E 80, 055302(R) (2009)] and the modified potential theory [R. Banerjee, L. Mandal, S. Roy, M. Khan, and M. R. Guptae, Phys. Plasmas 18, 022109 (2011)]. In our simulations, the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) parallel computing is also used to relieve the massive computational cost.

Lattice Boltzmann modeling of three-phase incompressible flows

In this paper, based on multicomponent phase-field theory we intend to develop an efficient lattice Boltzmann (LB) model for simulating three-phase incompressible flows. In this model, two LB equations are used to capture the interfaces among three different fluids, and another LB equation is adopted to solve the flow field, where a new distribution function for the forcing term is delicately designed. Different from previous multiphase LB models, the interfacial force is not used in the computation of fluid velocity, which is more reasonable from the perspective of the multiscale analysis. As a result, the computation of fluid velocity can be much simpler. Through the Chapman-Enskog analysis, it is shown that the present model can recover exactly the physical formulations for the three-phase system. Numerical simulations of extensive examples including two circular interfaces, ternary spinodal decomposition, spreading of a liquid lens, and Kelvin-Helmholtz instability are conducted to test the model. It is found that the present model can capture accurate interfaces among three different fluids, which is attributed to its algebraical and dynamical consistency properties with the two-component model. Furthermore, the numerical results of three-phase flows agree well with the theoretical results or some available data, which demonstrates that the present LB model is a reliable and efficient method for simulating three-phase flow problems.