Daniel Martínez

A lattice Boltzmann boundary condition for simulation of fluid flow using simple extrapolation is proposed. Numerical simulations, including two-dimensional Poiseuille flow, unsteady Couette flow, lid-driven square cavity flow, and flow over a column of cylinders for a range of Reynolds numbers, are carried out, showing that this scheme is of second order accuracy in space discretization. Applications of the method to other boundary conditions, including pressure condition and flux condition are discussed.

The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is regarded as a specific finite difference discretization for the kinetic equation of the discrete velocity distribution function. We argue that for finite sets of discrete velocity models, such as LBM, the physical symmetry is necessary for obtaining the correct macroscopic Navier-Stokes equations. In contrast, the lattice symmetry and the Lagrangian nature of the scheme, which is often used in the lattice gas automaton method and the existing lattice Boltzmann methods and directly associated with the property of particle dynamics, is not necessary for recovering the correct macroscopic dynamics. By relaxing the lattice symmetry constraint and introducing other numerical discretization, one can also obtain correct hydrodynamics. In addition, numerical simulations for applications, such as nonuniform meshes and thermohydrodynamics can be easily carried out and numerical stability can be ensured by the Courant-Friedricks-Lewey condition and using the semi-implicit collision scheme.

Long-time states of a turbulent, decaying, two-dimensional, Navier–Stokes flow are shown numerically to relax toward maximum-entropy configurations, as defined by the ‘‘sinh-Poisson’’ equation. The large-scale Reynolds number is about 14 000, the spatial resolution is (512)2, the boundary conditions are spatially periodic, and the evolution takes place over nearly 400 large-scale eddy-turnover times.

Numerical solution of two-dimensional incompressible hydrodynamics shows that states of a near-minimal ratio of enstrophy to energy can be attained in times short compared with the flow decay time, confirming the simplest turbulent selective decay conjecture, and suggesting that coherent vortex structures do not terminate nonlinear processes. After all possible vortex mergers occur, the vorticity attains a particlelike character, suggested by the late-time similarity of the streamlines to Ewald potential contours.