Numerical Simulation of Fluid Flow Past a Square Cylinder Using a Lattice Boltzmann Method

The method of lattice boltzmann equation(LBE) is a kinetic-based approach for fluid flow computations. In the last decade, minimal kinetic models, and primarily the LBE, have met with significant success in the simulation of complex hydrodynamic phenomena, ranging from slow flows in grossly irregular geometries to fully developed turbulence, to flow with dynamic phase transitions. In the present work, a computer code, based on the LBM has been developed to show the capability of the method for simulating fluid flows. The confined flow around a cylinder with square cross-section mounted inside a plane channel (blockage ratio B=1/8) was investigated in detail with LBM method. The largest Reynolds number chosen was Re=300 based on the maximum inflow velocity and the chord length of the square cylinder. The LBE was built up on the D2Q9 model and the single relaxation time method called the lattice-BGK method. Both velocity profiles and integral parameters such as drag coefficient and Strouhal number were investigated.