多重网格格子Boltzmann方法的并行算法

针对复杂流动数值模拟中的格子Boltzmann方法存在计算网格量大、收敛速度慢的缺点,提出了基于三维几何边界的多重笛卡儿网格并行生成算法,并基于该网格生成方法提出了多重网格并行格子Boltzmann方法（LBM）。该方法结合不同尺度网格间的耦合计算,有效减少了计算网格量,提高了收敛速度;而且测试结果也表明该并行算法具有良好的可扩展性。     

An efficient swap algorithm for the lattice Boltzmann method

During the last decade, the lattice-Boltzmann method (LBM) as a valuable tool in computational fluid dynamics has been increasingly acknowledged. The widespread application of LBM is partly due to the simplicity of its coding. The most well-known algorithms for the implementation of the standard lattice-Boltzmann equation (LBE) are the two-lattice and two-step algorithms. However, implementations of the two-lattice or the two-step algorithm suffer from high memory consumption or poor computational performance, respectively. Ultimately, the computing resources available decide which of the two disadvantages is more critical. Here we introduce a new algorithm, called the swap algorithm, for the implementation of LBE. Simulation results demonstrate that implementations based on the swap algorithm can achieve high computational performance and have very low memory consumption. Furthermore, we show how the performance of its implementations can be further improved by code optimization.     

A direct-forcing immersed boundary method for the thermal lattice Boltzmann method

In this study, a direct-forcing immersed boundary method (IBM) for thermal lattice Boltzmann method (TLBM) is proposed to simulate the non-isothermal flows. The direct-forcing IBM formulas for thermal equations are derived based on two TLBM models: a double-population model with a simplified thermal lattice Boltzmann equation (Model 1) and a hybrid model with an advection–diffusion equation of temperature (Model 2). As an interface scheme, which is required due to a mismatch between boundary and computational grids in the IBM, the sharp interface scheme based on second-order bilinear and linear interpolations (instead of the diffuse interface scheme, which uses discrete delta functions) is adopted to obtain the more accurate results. The proposed methods are validated through convective heat transfer problems with not only stationary but also moving boundaries – the natural convection in a square cavity with an eccentrically located cylinder and a cold particle sedimentation in an infinite channel. In terms of accuracy, the results from the IBM based on both models are comparable and show a good agreement with those from other numerical methods. In contrast, the IBM based on Model 2 is more numerically efficient than the IBM based on Model 1.     

Suppressing the coalescence in the multi-component lattice Boltzmann method

This article discusses a novel phenomenological approach for suppressing the coalescence in the Gunstensen multi-component lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The suppression of coalescence is achieved by perturbing the terminal nodes of the ambient fluid’s thin layer trapped between the approaching droplets. This additional perturbation creates a local high pressure fluid layer which eventually leads to suppressing the coalescence of the neighboring droplets while maintaining a suitable qualitative force balance representative of the physical intermolecular forces which act between them.     

Entropic lattice Boltzmann method for simulation of binary mixtures

A new kinetic model for binary mixtures and its lattice Boltzmann (LB) discretization is formulated. In the hydrodynamic limit, the model recovers the Navier–Stokes and the Stefan–Maxwell binary diffusion equations, satisfies the indifferentiability principle, and is thermodynamically consistent. The present model is able to simulate mixtures with different Schmidt numbers and with a large molecular weight ratio of the components.     

Boundary treatment for the lattice Boltzmann method using adaptive relaxation times

In this paper, we propose a new boundary treatment with almost second-order accuracy that does not require neighboring lattice information. In order to achieve improved accuracy for the boundary lattices, we used adaptive relaxation times reflecting boundary length scales that were unequal to the length scale of the internal fluid region lattices. Since the boundary treatment using adaptive relaxation times at the boundaries was formulated without information about the neighboring lattices, it could be easily applied to complex geometries. Numerical results using the proposed boundary treatment showed almost second-order accuracy for two-dimensional and three-dimensional problems without using information from neighboring lattices, unlike interpolation or extrapolation methods.     

An upwind discretization scheme for the finite volume lattice Boltzmann method

The fact that the classic lattice Boltzmann method is restricted to Cartesian Grids has inspired several researchers to apply Finite Volume [Nannelli F, Succi S. The lattice Boltzmann equation on irregular lattices. J Stat Phys 1992;68:401–7; Peng G, Xi H, Duncan C, Chou SH. Finite volume scheme for the lattice Boltzmann method on unstructured meshes. Phys Rev E 1999;59:4675–82; Chen H. Volumetric formulation of the lattice Boltzmann method for fluid dynamics: basic concept. Phys Rev E 1998;58:3955–63] or Finite Element [Lee T, Lin CL. A characteristic Galerkin method for discrete Boltzmann equation. J Comp Phys 2001;171:336–56; Shi X, Lin J, Yu Z. Discontinuous Galerkin spectral element lattice Boltzmann method on triangular element. Int J Numer Methods Fluids 2003;42:1249–61] methods to the Discrete Boltzmann equation. The finite volume method proposed by Peng et al. works on unstructured grids, thus allowing an increased geometrical flexibility. However, the method suffers from substantial numerical instability compared to the standard LBE models. The computational efficiency of the scheme is not competitive with standard methods.We propose an alternative way of discretizing the convection operator using an upwind scheme, as opposed to the central scheme described by Peng et al. We apply our method to some test problems in two spatial dimensions to demonstrate the improved stability of the new scheme and the significant improvement in computational efficiency. Comparisons with a lattice Boltzmann solver working on a hierarchical grid were done and we found that currently finite volume methods for the discrete Boltzmann equation are not yet competitive as stand alone fluid solvers.     

多松弛时间格子Boltzmann方法在GPU上的实现

近年来,随着统一计算设备构架(CUDA)的出现,高端图形处理器(GPU)在图像处理、计算流体力学等科学计算领域的应用得到了快速发展.属于介观数值方法的格子Boltzmann方法(LBM)是1种新的计算流体力学(CFD)方法,具有算法简单、能处理复杂边界条件、压力能够直接求解等优势,在多相流、湍流、渗流等领域得到了广泛应用.LBM由于具有内在的并行性,特别适合在GPU上计算.采用多松弛时间模型(MRT)的LBM,受松弛因子的影响较小并且数值稳定性较好.本文实现了MRT-LBM在基于CUDA的GPU上的计算,并通过计算流体力学经典算例--二维方腔流来验证计算的正确性.在雷诺数Re=[10,104]之间,计算了多达26种雷诺数的算例,并将Re=102,4×102,103,2×103,5×103,7.5×103算例对应的主涡中心坐标与文献中结果进行了对比.计算结果与文献数值实验符合较好,从而验证了算法实现的正确性,并显示出MRT-LBM具有更优的数值稳定性.本文还分析了在GPU上MRT-LBM的计算性能并与CPU的计算进行了比较,结果表明,GPU可以极大地加快MRT-LBM的计算,NVIDIA Tesla C2050相对于单核Intel Xeon 5430 CPU的加速比约为60倍.     

Simulation of floating bodies with the lattice Boltzmann method

This paper is devoted to the simulation of floating rigid bodies in free surface flows. For that, a lattice Boltzmann based model for liquid–gas–solid flows is presented. The approach is built upon previous work for the simulation of liquid–solid particle suspensions on the one hand, and on an interface-capturing technique for liquid–gas free surface flows on the other. The incompressible liquid flow is approximated by a lattice Boltzmann scheme, while the dynamics of the compressible gas are neglected. We show how the particle model and the interface capturing technique can be combined by a novel set of dynamic cell conversion rules. We also evaluate the behaviour of the free surface–particle interaction in simulations. One test case is the rotational stability of non-spherical rigid bodies floating on a plane water surface–a classical hydrostatic problem known from naval architecture. We show the consistency of our method in this kind of flows and obtain convergence towards the ideal solution for the heeling stability of a floating box.     

Simulations of the dynamo effect with the lattice Boltzmann method

Simulations of the dynamo effect require the simultaneous integration of the Navier–Stokes equation and of the induction equation of electrodynamics. We present a hybrid method in which the Navier–Stokes equation is solved with a lattice Boltzmann method and the induction equation is treated with a spectral method.     

A new approach to the lattice Boltzmann method for graphics processing units

Emerging many-core processors, like CUDA capable nVidia GPUs, are promising platforms for regular parallel algorithms such as the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM). Since the global memory for graphic devices shows high latency and LBM is data intensive, the memory access pattern is an important issue for achieving good performances. Whenever possible, global memory loads and stores should be coalescent and aligned, but the propagation phase in LBM can lead to frequent misaligned memory accesses. Most previous CUDA implementations of 3D LBM addressed this problem by using low latency on chip shared memory. Instead of this, our CUDA implementation of LBM follows carefully chosen data transfer schemes in global memory. For the 3D lid-driven cavity test case, we obtained up to 86% of the global memory maximal throughput on nVidia’s GT200. We show that as a consequence highly efficient implementations of LBM on GPUs are possible, even for complex models.     

Modelling solute transport in shallow water with the lattice Boltzmann method

The lattice Boltzmann method is used to investigate the solute transport in shallow water flows. Shallow water equations are solved using the lattice Boltzmann equation on a D2Q9 lattice with multiple-relaxation-time (MRT-LBM) and Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook (BGK-LBM) terms separately, and the advection–diffusion equation is also solved with a LBM-BGK on a D2Q5 lattice. Three cases: open channel flow with side discharge, shallow recirculation flow and flow in a harbour are simulated to verify the described methods. Agreements between predictions and experiments are satisfactory. In side discharge flow, the reattachment length for different ratios of side discharge velocity to main channel velocity has been studied in detail. Furthermore, the performance of MRT-LBM and BGK-LBM for these three cases has been investigated. It is found that LBM-MRT has better stability and is able to satisfactorily simulate flows with higher Reynolds number. The study shows that the lattice Boltzmann method is simple and accurate for simulating solute transport in shallow water flows, and hence it can be applied to a wide range of environmental flow problems.     

Topology optimization of flow domains using the lattice Boltzmann method

We consider the optimal design of two- (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) flow domains using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) as an approximation of Navier-Stokes (NS) flows. The problem is solved by a topology optimization approach varying the effective porosity of a fictitious material. The boundaries of the flow domain are represented by potentially discontinuous material distributions. NS flows are traditionally approximated by finite element and finite volume methods. These schemes, while well established as high-fidelity simulation tools using body-fitted meshes, are effected in their accuracy and robustness when regular meshes with zero-velocity constraints along the surface and in the interior of obstacles are used, as is common in topology optimization. Therefore, we study the potential of the LBM for approximating low Mach number incompressible viscous flows for topology optimization. In the LBM the geometry of flow domains is defined in a discontinuous manner, similar to the approach used in material-based topology optimization. In addition, this non-traditional discretization method features parallel scalability and allows for high-resolution, regular fluid meshes. In this paper, we show how the variation of the porosity can be used in conjunction with the LBM for the optimal design of fluid domains, making the LBM an interesting alternative to NS solvers for topology optimization problems. The potential of our topology optimization approach will be illustrated by 2D and 3D numerical examples.     

有限体积格子Boltzmann方法的算法改进及性能分析

有限体积格子Boltzmann方法(LBM)能够将标准LBM的应用范围扩展到非结构网格,但是比起标准的LBM这个方法需要更多的内存用量和计算量。针对此问题采用了优化计算顺序、简化计算方程的方法对有限体积LBM算法进行改进。科学的分析和实验的结果表明,改进后的算法能够在不增加计算量的基础上减少内存用量,在一些情况下还可以大量减少计算时间。     

A unified approach for nonslip and slip boundary conditions in the lattice Boltzmann method

This work proposed a unified approach to impose both nonslip and slip boundary conditions for the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). By introducing the tangential momentum accommodation coefficient (TMAC), the present implementation can determine the change of the tangential momentum on the wall and then impose the correct boundary conditions for LBM. The simulation results demonstrate that this implementation is equivalent to the first-order slip model.     

Artificial compressibility method and lattice Boltzmann method: Similarities and differences

The artificial compressibility method and the lattice Boltzmann method yield the solutions of the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations in the limit of the vanishing Mach number. The inclusion of the bulk viscosity is considered to be one of the reasons for the success of the lattice Boltzmann method at least in the 2D case. In the present paper, the robustness of the artificial compressibility method is enhanced by introducing a new dissipation term, which makes high cell-Reynolds number computation possible. The increase of the stability is also confirmed in the linear stability analysis; the magnitude of the eigenvalues are drastically reduced for low resolution. Comparisons are made with the lattice Boltzmann method. It is confirmed that the fortified ACM is more robust as well as more accurate than the lattice Boltzmann method.     

Simulation of bubble-bubble interaction using a lattice Boltzmann method

This paper presents the results obtained from three-dimensional numerical simulations of multiple bubbles rising under buoyancy in a quiescent viscous incompressible fluid. A lattice Boltzmann method, based on the free-energy model, is developed to simulate the behavior of bubble-bubble interaction while rising in the fluid. A new scheme, which involves eighteen lattice points for the first and second derivative, is proposed to achieve stable computations at high fluid-to-bubble density ratio. The effects of the density ratio and the initial bubble configuration on the flow field induced by rising bubbles and on the evolution of bubble shape during their coalescence are investigated. It is found that for two rising bubbles with the same size, the leading bubble rises like an isolated bubble before coalescence. The trailing bubble is entrained by the leading one, and experiences obvious deformation when it enters the wake region of the leading bubble. The shape evolution of the trailing bubble is different at the high and low density ratios. However, for two rising bubbles with different sizes, the larger bubble always has strong effect on the smaller one in any initial configuration.     

Sailfish: A flexible multi-GPU implementation of the lattice Boltzmann method

We present Sailfish, an open source fluid simulation package implementing the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) on modern Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) using CUDA/OpenCL. We take a novel approach to GPU code implementation and use run-time code generation techniques and a high level programming language (Python) to achieve state of the art performance, while allowing easy experimentation with different LBM models and tuning for various types of hardware. We discuss the general design principles of the code, scaling to multiple GPUs in a distributed environment, as well as the GPU implementation and optimization of many different LBM models, both single component (BGK, MRT, ELBM) and multicomponent (Shan–Chen, free energy). The paper also presents results of performance benchmarks spanning the last three NVIDIA GPU generations (Tesla, Fermi, Kepler), which we hope will be useful for researchers working with this type of hardware and similar codes.