A CONSISTENT HYDRODYNAMIC BOUNDARY-CONDITION FOR THE LATTICE BOLTZMANN METHOD

A hydrodynamic boundary condition is developed to replace the heuristic bounce-back boundary condition used in the majority of lattice Boltzmann simulations. This boundary condition is applied to the two-dimensional, steady flow of an incompressible fluid between two parallel plates. Poiseuille flow with stationary plates, and a constant pressure gradient is simulated to machine accuracy over the full range of relaxation times and pressure gradients. A second problem involves a moving upper plate and the injection of fluid normal to the plates. The bounce-back boundary condition is shown to be an inferior approach for simulating stationary walls, because it actually mimics boundaries that move with a speed that depends on the relaxation time. When using accurate hydrodynamic boundary conditions, the lattice Boltzmann method is shown to exhibit second-order accuracy. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.