To simulate the hydrodynamics and mixing characteristics of chemical reactors by means of a lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), it is essential to consider components with varying molecular weights (and therefore speeds of sound). This option requires modification of the standard equilibrium distribution function and the use of an extended velocity set. In this paper, we show that, for isothermal incompressible single-component non-reactive flows, tuning the speed of sound with a modified equilibrium distribution and an extended velocity set allows for reproducing the proper flow characteristics with strongly reduced errors (compared to LBM simulations on standard lattices). This is done for two isothermal benchmarks, viz. a damped standing pressure wave and a decaying viscous Taylor–Green Vortex. The convergence as a function of the number of lattice nodes used improves substantially for varying values of the speed of sound.

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Abstract: A lattice Boltzmann (LB) method is presented for solving the energy conservation equation in two phases when the phase change effects are included in the model. This approach employs multiple distribution functions, one for a pseudotemperature scalar variable and the rest for the various species. A nonideal equation of state (EOS) is introduced by using a pseudopotential LB model. The evolution equation for the pseudotemperature variable is constructed in such a manner that in the continuum limit one recovers the well known macroscopic energy conservation equation for the mixtures. Heats of reaction, the enthalpy change associated with the phase change, and the diffusive transport of enthalpy are all taken into account; but the dependence of enthalpy on pressure, which is usually a small effect in most nonisothermal flows encountered in chemical reaction systems, is ignored. The energy equation is coupled to the LB equations for species transport and pseudopotential interaction forces through the EOS by using the filtered local pseudotemperature field. The proposed scheme is validated against simple test problems for which analytical solutions can readily be obtained.@en

Journal of Fluid MechanicsJournal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 715 / January 2013, pp 32-59 Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2012.492 (About DOI), Published online: 09 January 2013 Abstract Transfer of mechanical energy between solid spherical particles and a Newtonian carrier fluid has been explored in two-way coupled direct numerical simulations of turbulent channel flow. The inertial particles have been treated as individual point particles in a Lagrangian framework and their feedback on the fluid phase has been incorporated in the Navier¿Stokes equations. At sufficiently large particle response times the Reynolds shear stress and the turbulence intensities in the spanwise and wall-normal directions were attenuated whereas the velocity fluctuations were augmented in the streamwise direction. The physical mechanisms involved in the particle¿fluid interactions were analysed in detail, and it was observed that the fluid transferred energy to the particles in the core region of the channel whereas the fluid received kinetic energy from the particles in the wall region. A local imbalance in the work performed by the particles on the fluid and the work exerted by the fluid on the particles was observed. This imbalance gave rise to a particle-induced energy dissipation which represents a loss of mechanical energy from the fluid¿particle suspension. An independent examination of the work associated with the different directional components of the Stokes force revealed that the dominating energy transfer was associated with the streamwise component. Both the mean and fluctuating parts of the Stokes force promoted streamwise fluctuations in the near-wall region. The kinetic energy associated with the cross-sectional velocity components was damped due to work done by the particles, and the energy was dissipated rather than recovered as particle kinetic energy. Componentwise scatter plots of the instantaneous velocity versus the instantaneous slip-velocity provided further insight into the energy transfer mechanisms, and the observed modulations of the flow field could thereby be explained. (Received December 19 2011) (Revised August 13 2012) (Accepted October 04 2012)@en

Polymer solution flow is studied numerically in a periodic, hexagonal array of cylinders as a model for a porous medium. We use a lattice Boltzmann method supplemented by a polymer stress, where the polymers are modeled as finitely extensible, nonlinear, elastic dumbbells. The simulated, nonmonotonic behavior of the effective viscosity ¿ eff as a function of the Weissenberg number We is in qualitative agreement with experiments in the literature. An analytical model, which replaces the flexible polymers by rods and that replaces the flow field in the porous medium by a superposition of shear and elongation, correctly reproduces the simulated ¿ eff as a function of the polymer extensibility parameter b in the limit of large We.@en

Using direct numerical simulations of turbulent Couette flow, we predict drag reduction in suspensions of neutrally buoyant fluid spheres, of diameter larger than the Kolmogorov length scale. The velocity fluctuations are enhanced in the streamwise direction, and reduced in the cross-stream directions, which is similar to the more studied case of drag reduction using polymers. Despite these similarities, the drag reduction mechanism is found to originate in the logarithmic region, while the buffer region contributes to a slight drag increase, which is opposite to polymer-induced drag reduction. Another striking difference is the reduction of the turbulent energy at the large scales and an enhancement at the small scales. (Received July 20 2011) (Revised October 08 2012) (Accepted October 11 2012)@en

Physics of Fluids / Volume 24 / Issue 11 / LETTERS / 111702 (2012); (6 pages) Pipe flow experiments show that turbulent drag reduction in plug-flow of concentrated suspensions of macroscopic fibers is a self-similar function of the wall shear stress over the fiber network yield stress. We model the experimental observations, by assuming a central fiber network plug, whose radius is determined by the yield stress. According to the model the plug constrains the size of the turbulent eddies in the surrounding annulus, with the effect of a reduced friction factor as compared to Newtonian flow.@en

Received 27 April 2012; revised 21 September 2012; published 5 October 2012 Simulations of maximum drag reduction (MDR) in channel flow using constitutive equations for suspensions of noninteracting rods predict a few-fold larger turbulent kinetic energy than in experiments using rodlike polymers. These differences are attributed to the neglect of interactions between polymers in the simulations. Despite these inconsistencies the simulations correctly reproduce the essential features of MDR, with universal profiles of the mean flow and the shear stress budgets that do not depend on the polymer concentration.@en

Chemical Engineering Journal Volumes 207¿208, 1 October 2012, Pages 587¿595 22nd International Symposium on Chemical Reaction Engineering (ISCRE 22)@en