In this paper, we aim to address an important issue about the pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann (LB) model, which has attracted much attention as a mesoscopic model for simulating interfacial dynamics of complex fluids, but suffers from the problem that the surface tension cannot be tuned independently of the density ratio. In the literature, a multi-range potential was devised to adjust the surface tension [Sbragaglia et al., Phys. Rev. E 75, 026702 (2007)]. However, it was recently found that the density ratio of the system will be changed when the multi-range potential is employed to adjust the surface tension. A new approach is therefore proposed in the present work. The basic strategy is to add a source term to the LB equation so as to tune the surface tension of the pseudopotential LB model. The proposed approach can guarantee that the adjustment of the surface tension does not affect the mechanical stability condition of the pseudopotential LB model, and thus provides a separate control of the surface tension and the density ratio. Meanwhile, it still retains the mesoscopic feature and the computational simplicity of the pseudopotential LB model. Numerical simulations are carried out for stationary droplets, capillary waves, and droplet splashing on a thin liquid film. The numerical results demonstrate that the proposed approach is capable of achieving a tunable surface tension over a very wide range and can keep the density ratio unchanged when adjusting the surface tension.
Owing to its conceptual simplicity and computational efficiency, the pseudopotential multiphase lattice Boltzmann (LB) model has attracted significant attention since its emergence. In this work, we aim to extend the pseudopotential LB model to simulate multiphase flows at large density ratio and relatively high Reynolds number. First, based on our recent work [Li et al., Phys. Rev. E. 86, 016709 (2012)], an improved forcing scheme is proposed for the multiple-relaxation-time pseudopotential LB model in order to achieve thermodynamic consistency and large density ratio in the model. Next, thro…
The implementation of boundary conditions is among the most challenging parts of modeling fluid flow through channels and complex media. Here, we show that the existing methods to deal with liquid-wall interactions using multicomponent Lattice Boltzmann are accurate when the wall is aligned with the main axes of the lattice but fail otherwise. To solve this problem, we extend a strategy previously developed for multiphase models. As an example, we study the coalescence of two droplets on a curved surface in two dimensions. The strategy proposed here is of special relevance for binary flows in …
The pseudopotential multiphase lattice Boltzmann (LB) model is a very popular model in the LB community for simulating multiphase flows. When the multiphase modeling involves a solid boundary, a numerical scheme is required to simulate the contact angle at the solid boundary. In this work, we aim at investigating the implementation of contact angles in the pseudopotential LB simulations with curved boundaries. In the pseudopotential LB model, the contact angle is usually realized by employing a solid-fluid interaction or specifying a constant virtual wall density. However, it is shown that the…
The hyperbolic tangent function is usually used as a reliable approximation of the equilibrium density distributions of a system with phase transitions. However, analyzing the accuracies of the numerical derivatives, we find that its numerical derivatives computed by central difference method (CDM) may deviate significantly from its analytical solutions, while those computed by high-order difference method (HDM) can agree very well. Therefore, we introduce HDM to evaluate the interparticle interactions instead of popular CDM, and propose a pseudopotential multiphase lattice Boltzmann model bas…
In this work, a third-order Chapman-Enskog analysis of the multiple-relaxation-time (MRT) pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann (LB) model for multiphase flow is performed for the first time. The leading terms on the interaction force, consisting of an anisotropic and an isotropic term, are successfully identified in the third-order macroscopic equation recovered by the lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE), and then new mathematical insights into the pseudopotential LB model are provided. For the third-order anisotropic term, numerical tests show that it can cause the stationary droplet to become out-…
We present an axisymmetric lattice Boltzmann model based on the Kupershtokh et al. multiphase model that is capable of solving liquid-gas density ratios up to $10^3$. Appropriate source terms are added to the lattice Boltzmann evolution equation to fully recover the axisymmetric multiphase conservation equations. We validate the model by showing that a stationary droplet obeys the Young-Laplace law, comparing the second oscillation mode of a droplet with respect to an analytical solution and showing correct mass conservation of a propagating density wave.
The pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann (LB) model is a popular model in the LB community for simulating multiphase flows. Recently, several thermal LB models, which are based on the pseudopotential LB model and constructed within the framework of the double-distribution-function LB method, were proposed to simulate thermal multiphase flows [G. Házi and A. Márkus, Phys. Rev. E 77, 026305 (2008); L. Biferale et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 104502 (2012); S. Gong and P. Cheng, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 55, 4923 (2012)]. The objective of the present paper is to show that the effect of the forcing te…
A lattice Boltzmann method for axisymmetric multiphase flows is presented and validated. The method is capable of accurately modeling flows with variable density. We develop the classic Shan-Chen multiphase model [ Phys. Rev. E 47 1815 (1993)] for axisymmetric flows. The model can be used to efficiently simulate single and multiphase flows. The convergence to the axisymmetric Navier-Stokes equations is demonstrated analytically by means of a Chapmann-Enskog expansion and numerically through several test cases. In particular, the model is benchmarked for its accuracy in reproducing the dynamics…
We generalize to three dimensions (3D) a recently developed improved multi-component pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann method and analyze its applicability to simulate flows through realistic porous media. The model is validated and characterized via benchmarks, and we investigate its performance by simulating the displacement of immiscible fluids in 3D geometries. Two samples are considered, namely, a pack of spheres obtained numerically, and a Bentheimer sandstone rock sample obtained experimentally. We show that, with this model it is possible to simulate realistic viscosity ratios, to tune…
Current multi-component, multiphase pseudo-potential lattice Boltzmann models have thermodynamic inconsistencies that prevent them to correctly predict the thermodynamic phase behavior of partially miscible multi-component mixtures, such as hydrocarbon mixtures. This paper identifies these inconsistencies and attempts to design a thermodynamically consistent multi-component, multiphase pseudo-potential lattice Boltzmann model that allows mass transfer across the phase interfaces and is capable to predict the phase behavior of typically partially miscible hydrocarbon mixtures. The designed mode…
We present a lattice Boltzmann model for charged leaky dielectric multiphase fluids in the context of electrified jet simulations, which are of interest for a number of production technologies including electrospinning. The role of non-linear rheology on the dynamics of electrified jets is considered by exploiting the Carreau model for pseudoplastic fluids. We report exploratory simulations of charged droplets at rest and under a constant electric field, and we provide results for charged jet formation under electrospinning conditions.
A novel lattice Boltzmann (LB) model for multiphase flows is developed that complies with the thermodynamic foundations of kinetic theory. By directly devising the collision term for LB equation at the discrete level, a self-tuning equation of state is achieved, which can be interpreted as the incorporation of short-range molecular interaction. A pairwise interaction force is introduced to mimic the long-range molecular interaction, which is responsible for interfacial dynamics. The derived pressure tensor is naturally consistent with thermodynamic theory, and surface tension and interface thi…
It is shown that the Shan-Chen (SC) model for non-ideal lattice fluids can be made compliant with a pseudo free-energy principle by simple addition of a gradient force, whose expression is uniquely specified in terms of the fluid density. This additional term is numerically shown to provide fairly negligible effects on the system evolution during phase-separation. To the best of our knowledge, these important properties of the SC model were not noted before. The approach developed in the present work is based on a continuum analysis: further extensions, more in line with a discrete lattice the…
In this paper, a lattice Boltzmann (LB) model is presented for axisymmetric multiphase flows. Source terms are added to a two-dimensional standard lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) for multiphase flows such that the emergent dynamics can be transformed into the axisymmetric cylindrical coordinate system. The source terms are temporally and spatially dependent and represent the axisymmetric contribution of the order parameter of fluid phases and inertial, viscous and surface tension forces. A model which is effectively explicit and second order is obtained. This is achieved by taking into accoun…
In this paper, three-dimensional (3D) multi-relaxation time (MRT) lattice-Boltzmann (LB) models for multiphase flow are presented. In contrast to the Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook (BGK) model, a widely employed kinetic model, in MRT models the rates of relaxation processes owing to collisions of particle populations may be independently adjusted. As a result, the MRT models offer a significant improvement in numerical stability of the LB method for simulating fluids with lower viscosities. We show through the Chapman-Enskog multiscale analysis that the continuum limit behavior of 3D MRT LB models corr…
The spurious currents observed in multiphase flow simulations with pseudo-potential lattice Boltzmann (LB) models are usually understood to be the result of the lack of isotropy of the model-generated interaction force between phases. Remedies have been proposed to utilize larger stencils to compute the interaction force with higher orders of isotropy. In this short communication, we point out the incompleteness in the current understanding and propose a new consistent implementation to more effectively suppress the spurious currents. We also demonstrate theoretically that certain low-level sp…
Numerical Simulation of Oscillating Multiphase Heat Transfer in Parallel plates using Pseudopotential Multiple-Relaxation-Time Lattice Boltzmann Method
Over the last two decades, lattice Boltzmann methods have become an increasingly popular tool to compute the flow in complex geometries such as porous media. In addition to single phase simulations allowing, for example, a precise quantification of the permeability of a porous sample, a number of extensions to the lattice Boltzmann method are available which allow to study multiphase and multicomponent flows on a pore scale level. In this article we give an extensive overview on a number of these diffuse interface models and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, we shortly r…
New method to simulate heat transport in multiphase lattice Boltzmann (LB) method is proposed. The energy transport equation needs to be solved when phase boundaries are present. Internal energy is represented by an additional set of distribution functions, which evolve according to a LB-like equation simulating the transport of a passive scalar. Parasitic heat diffusion near boundaries with large density gradient is supressed by using the interparticle "pseudoforces" which prevent the spreading of energy. The compression work and heat diffusion are calculated by finite differences. The latent…
Immiscible fluid displacement in porous media occurs in several natural and industrial processes. For example, during petroleum extraction from porous rock reservoirs, water is used to displace oil. In this paper, we investigate primary drainage and imbibition in a heterogeneous porous medium using an improved numerical model based on the multicomponent pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann method. We apply recent developments from the literature and develop new pressure boundary conditions. We show that the proposed model is able to simulate realistic viscosity ratios, and it allows independent t…
Adaptive near-contact repulsion in conservative Allen-Cahn phase-field lattice Boltzmann multiphase model
Roma Tre University（罗马第三大学）；Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná（巴拉那天主教大学）；Istituto per le Applicazioni del Calcolo, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche（意大利国家研究委员会计算应用研究所）；Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia（意大利理工大学基金会生命纳米与神经科学中心）；PoreLab, Department of Physics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology（挪威科技大学物理系孔隙实验室）
Contact angle is an essential physical quantity that characterizes the wettability of a substrate. Although it is widely used in the studies of surface wetting, capillary phenomena and moving contact lines, measuring contact angles in experiments and simulations is still complicated and time-consuming. In this paper, we present an efficient scheme for the real-time and on-the-spot measurement of contact angles on curved wetting surfaces in lattice Boltzmann simulations. The measuring results are in excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions by the spherical cap method without conside…
A discrete Boltzmann model (DBM) is developed to investigate the hydrodynamic and thermodynamic non-equilibrium (TNE) effects in phase separation processes. The interparticle force drives changes and the gradient force, induced by gradients of macroscopic quantities, opposes them. In this paper, we investigate the interplay between them by providing detailed inspection of various non-equilibrium observables. Based on the TNE features, we define a TNE strength which roughly estimates the deviation amplitude from the thermodynamic equilibrium. The time evolution of the TNE intensity provides a c…
The pseudopotential method is one of the most popular extensions of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) for phase change and multiphase flow simulation. One attractive feature of the original proposed method consists on its simplicity of adding a force dependent on a nearest-neighbor potential function, which became known as the Shan-Chen interaction force. Some of the well known drawbacks implied by this method involves lack of thermodynamic consistency and impossibility to control the surface tension independently. In order to correct these deficiencies, different approaches were developed in…
Boiling is a complex phenomenon where different non-linear physical interactions take place and for which the quantitative modeling of the mechanism involved is not fully developed yet. In the last years, many works have been published focusing on the numerical analysis of this problem. However, a lack of numerical works assessing quantitatively the sensitivity of these numerical simulations to grid parameters can be identified, especially for the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The main goal of this work is to propose a mesh refinement methodology for simulating phase-change heat transfer pro…
The existing lattice Boltzmann models for incompressible multiphase flows are mostly constructed with two distribution functions, one is the order parameter distribution function, which is used to track the interface between different phases, and the other is the pressure distribution function for solving the velocity field. In this brief report, it is shown that in these models the recovered momentum equation is inconsistent with the target one: an additional interfacial force is included in the recovered momentum equation. The effects of the additional force are investigated by numerical sim…
In this paper, an efficient three-dimensional lattice Boltzmann (LB) model with multiple-relaxation-time (MRT) collision operator is developed for the simulation of multiphase flows. This model is an extension of our previous two-dimensional model (H. Liang, B. C. Shi, Z. L. Guo, and Z. H. Chai, Phys. Rev. E. 89, 053320 (2014)) to the three dimensions using the D3Q7 (seven discrete velocities in three dimensions) lattice for the Chan-Hilliard equation (CHE) and the D3Q15 lattice for the Navier-Stokes equations (NSEs). Due to the smaller lattice-velocity numbers used, the computional efficiency…
In the classical multiple-relaxation-time (MRT) lattice Boltzmann (LB) method, the transformation matrix is formed by constructing a set of orthogonal basis vectors. In this paper, a theoretical and numerical study is performed to investigate the capability and efficiency of a non-orthogonal MRT-LB model for simulating multiphase flows. First, a three-dimensional non-orthogonal MRT-LB is proposed. A non-orthogonal MRT collision operator is devised based on a set of non-orthogonal basis vectors, through which the transformation matrix and its inverse matrix are considerably simplified as compar…
In this paper, an improved three-dimensional color-gradient lattice Boltzmann (LB) model is proposed for simulating immiscible multiphase flows. Compared with the previous three-dimensional color-gradient LB models, which suffer from the lack of Galilean invariance and considerable numerical errors in many cases owing to the error terms in the recovered macroscopic equations, the present model eliminates the error terms and therefore improves the numerical accuracy and enhances the Galilean invariance. To validate the proposed model, numerical simulation are performed. First, the test of a mov…
The liquid-gas density ratio is a key property of multiphase flow methods to model real fluid systems. Here, a chemical-potential multiphase lattice Boltzmann method is constructed to realize extremely large density ratios. The simulations show that the method reaches very low temperatures, at which the liquid-gas density ratio is more than 10^14, while the thermodynamic consistency is still preserved. Decoupling the mesh space from the momentum space through a proportional coefficient, a smaller mesh step provides denser lattice nodes to exactly describe the transition region and the resultin…
Spurious currents, which are often observed near a curved interface in the multiphase simulations by diffuse interface methods, are unphysical phenomena and usually damage the computational accuracy and stability. In this paper, the origination and suppression of spurious currents are investigated by using the multiphase lattice Boltzmann method driven by chemical potential. Both the difference error and insufficient isotropy of discrete gradient operator give rise to the directional deviations of nonideal force and then originate the spurious currents. Nevertheless, the high-order finite diff…
Porous asphalt (PA) is an open-graded porous material with a porosity of 20%, allowing fast drainage of rain and improving driving and acoustic conditions. However, the high porosity leads to significant contact with water resulting in a shorter life expectancy. To improve the durability and performance of PA, the distribution of water and its residence time have to be understood which entails capturing diverse multiphase phenomena. For these reasons, a numerical study is performed to analyze in detail the fluid transport mechanisms at play in PA, towards estimating the liquid distribution ins…
The performances of the Color-Gradient (CG) and of the Shan-Chen (SC) multicomponent Lattice Boltzmann models are quantitatively compared side-by-side on multiple physical flow problems where breakup, coalescence and contraction of fluid ligaments are important. The flow problems are relevant to microfluidic applications, jetting of microdroplets as seen in inkjet printing, as well as emulsion dynamics. A significantly wider range of parameters is shown to be accessible for CG in terms of density-ratio, viscosity-ratio and surface tension values. Numerical stability for a high density ratio $\…
By means of the multicomponent Shan-Chen lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), we investigate the multiphase flow through porous media. Despite the excellent accuracy of the LBM, large domains result in unaffordable computational expenses. The Hybrid model developed in this study is based on a pore-network (PN) approach that enhances a decomposition of the granular assembly into small subsets (pore throats). Lattice Boltzmann simulations are performed for each pore throat to determine the hydrodynamic properties (entry capillary pressure, primary drainage curve, liquid morphology, etc) at the micros…
Modeling liquid-vapor phase change using the lattice Boltzmann (LB) method has attracted significant attention in recent years. In this paper, we propose an improved three-dimensional (3D) thermal multiphase LB model for simulating liquid-vapor phase change. The proposed model has the following features. First, it is still within the framework of the thermal LB method using a temperature distribution function and therefore retains the fundamental advantages of the thermal LB method. Second, in the existing thermal LB models for liquid-vapor phase change, the finite-difference computations of t…
Over the past few decades, tremendous progress has been made in the development of particle-based discrete simulation methods versus the conventional continuum-based methods. In particular, the lattice Boltzmann (LB) method has evolved from a theoretical novelty to a ubiquitous, versatile and powerful computational methodology for both fundamental research and engineering applications. It is a kinetic-based mesoscopic approach that bridges the microscales and macroscales, which offers distinctive advantages in simulation fidelity and computational efficiency. Applications of the LB method have…
In this paper, a novel lattice Boltzmann (LB) model based on the Allen-Cahn phase-field theory is proposed for simulating axisymmetric multiphase flows. The most striking feature of the model is that it enables to handle multiphase flows with large density ratio, which are unavailable in all previous axisymmetric LB models. The present model utilizes two LB evolution equations, one of which is used to solve fluid interface, and another is adopted to solve hydrodynamic properties. To simulate axisymmetric multiphase flows effectively, the appropriate source term and equilibrium distribution fun…
We present a novel approach to kinetic theory modeling enabling the simulation of a generic, real gas presented by its corresponding equation of state. The model is based on mass, momentum and energy conservation, and unlike the lattice Boltzmann models enables simulations of fluids exhibiting a liquid-vapor phase transition in both super- and subcritical states. In this new kinetic theory,an arbitrary equation of state can be introduced through rescaling the discrete particle velocities.Different benchmarks associated with real-gas thermodynamics illustrate that the proposed scheme can handle…
We present a novel lattice Boltzmann method that has a capability of simulating thermodynamic multiphase flows. This approach is fully thermodynamically consistent at the macroscopic level. Using this new method, a liquid-vapor boiling process, including liquid-vapor formation and coalescence together with a full coupling of temperature, is simulated for the first time.
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., Physical Review E 83, 036707 (2011)]. Th…
Simulation of multiphase flows require coupled capturing or tracking of the interfaces in conjunction with the solution of fluid motion often occurring at multiple scales. We will present unified cascaded LB methods based on central moments for the solution of the incompressible two-phase flows at high density ratios and for capturing of the interfacial dynamics. Based on a modified continuous Boltzmann equation (MCBE) for two-phase flows, where a kinetic transformation to the distribution function involving the pressure field is introduced to reduce the associated numerical stiffness at high …
The Lattice Boltzmann method has been gaining acceptance for hydrodynamic problems involving complex boundaries, non-equilibrium dynamics and interfacial phenomena in multiphase or multicomponent systems. lb2d.pm is a Perl module offering a clear framework for simple Lattice Boltzmann simulations in 2D. The syntax and some basic applications are presented. Mainly, the new version 0.1 enables solute transport and accounts for reactive boundaries leading to surface growth.
We present a diffusion dominated evaporation model using the popular pseudopotential multicomponent lattice Boltzmann method introduced by Shan and Chen. With an analytical computation of the diffusion coefficients, we demonstrate that Fick's law is obeyed. We then validate the applicability of our model by demonstrating the agreement of the time evolution of the interface position of an evaporating planar film to the analytical prediction. Furthermore, we study the evaporation of a freely floating droplet and confirm that the effect of Laplace pressure is significant for predicting the time e…
We report an implementation of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) to integrate the Bloch-Torrey equation, which describes the evolution of the transverse magnetization vector and the fate of the signal of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI). Motivated by the need to interpret dMRI experiments in biological tissues, and to offset the small time-step limitation of classical LBM, a hybrid LBM scheme is introduced and implemented to solve the Bloch-Torrey equation. A membrane boundary condition is presented which is able to accurately represent the effects of thin curvilinear membranes typ…
A rigorous free energy model for ternary fluid flows with density ratio up to of order $O(10^3)$ is presented and implemented using the entropic lattice Boltzmann scheme. The model is thermodynamically consistent and allows a broad range of surface tension ratios, covering both partial wetting states where Neumann triangles are formed, and full wetting states where complete encapsulation of one of fluid components is observed. We further demonstrate that we can capture the bouncing, adhesive and insertive regimes for the binary collisions between immiscible droplets suspended in air. Our appro…
The Lattice Boltzmann Method algorithm is simplified by assuming constant numerical viscosity (the relaxation time is fixed at $τ=1$). This leads to the removal of the distribution function from the computer memory. To test the solver the Poiseuille and Driven Cavity flows are simulated and analyzed. The error of the solution decreases with the grid size L as $L^{-2}$. Compared to the standard algorithm, the presented formulation is simpler and shorter in implementation. It is less error-prone and needs significantly less working memory in low Reynolds number flows. Our tests showed that the a…
Droplets on hydrophobic surfaces are ubiquitous in microfluidic applications and there exists a number of commonly used multicomponent and multiphase lattice Boltzmann schemes to study such systems. In this paper we focus on a popular implementation of a multicomponent model as introduced by Shan and Chen. Here, interactions between different components are implemented as repulsive forces whose strength is determined by model parameters. In this paper we present simulations of a droplet on a hydrophobic surface. We investigate the dependence of the contact angle on the simulation parameters an…
