Central Moment Lattice Boltzmann Method using a Pressure-based Formulation for Multiphase Flows at High Density Ratios and including Effects of Surface Tension and Marangoni Stresses

TL;DR

This paper introduces a unified central moment lattice Boltzmann method for simulating high-density-ratio multiphase flows, effectively capturing interface dynamics, surface tension, and Marangoni stresses with improved numerical stability.

Contribution

The paper develops a pressure-based cascaded LB formulation based on a modified Boltzmann equation, enhancing stability and accuracy in high-density-ratio multiphase flow simulations.

Findings

Validated on benchmark problems with high density ratios

Demonstrated improved numerical stability

Accurately captured surface tension and Marangoni effects

Abstract

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 density gradients, a central moment cascaded LB formulation for computing the fluid motion will be constructed. In this LB scheme, the collision step is prescribed by the relaxation of various central moments to their equilibria that are reformulated in terms of the pressure field obtained via matching to the continuous equilibria based on the transformed Maxwell distribution. Furthermore, the differential treatments for the effects of the source term representing the change due to the pressure field and of the source term due to the interfacial tension force and body forces appearing in the MCBE on different moments are consistently accounted for in this cascaded LB solver that computes the pressure and velocity fields. In addition, another cascaded LB scheme via modified equilibria will be developed to solve for the interfacial dynamics represented by a phase field model based on the conservative Allen-Cahn equation. Based on numerical simulations of a variety of two-phase flow benchmark problems at high density ratios and involving the effects of surface tension and its tangential gradients (Marangoni stresses), we will validate our unified cascaded LB approach and also demonstrate improvements in numerical stability.