Lattice Boltzmann equation method for multiple immiscible continuum fluids

T. J. Spencer, I. Halliday, and C. M. Care

Phys. Rev. E 82, 066701 – Published 2 December 2010

Abstract

This paper generalizes the two-component algorithm of Sec. II, extending it, in Sec. III, to describe $N > 2$ mutually immiscible fluids in the isothermal continuum regime. Each fluid has an independent interfacial tension. While retaining all its computational advantages, we remove entirely the empiricism associated with contact behavior in our previous multiple immiscible fluid models [M. M. Dupin et al., Phys. Rev. E 73, 055701(R) (2006); Med. Eng. Phys. 28, 13 (2006)] while solidifying the physical foundations. Moreover, the model relies upon a fluid-fluid segregation which is simpler, computationally faster, more free of artifacts (i.e., the interfacial microcurrent), and upon an interface-inducing force distribution which is analytic. The method is completely symmetric between any numbers of immiscible fluids and stable over a wide range of directly input interfacial tension. We present data on the steady-state properties of multiple interface model, which are in good agreement with theory [R. E. Johnson and S. S. Sadhal, Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 17, 289 (1985)], specifically on the shapes of multidrop systems. Section II is an analysis of the kinetic and continuum-scale descriptions of the underlying two-component lattice Boltzmann model for immiscible fluids, extendable to more than two immiscible fluids. This extension requires (i) the use of a more local kinetic equation perturbation which is (ii) free from a reliance on measured interfacial curvature. It should be noted that viewed simply as a two-component method, the continuum algorithm is inferior to our previous methods, reported by Lishchuk et al. [Phys. Rev. E 67, 036701 (2003)] and Halliday et al. [Phys. Rev. E 76, 026708 (2007)]. Greater stability and parameter range is achieved in multiple drop simulations by using the forced multi-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann method developed, along with (for completeness) a forced exactly incompressible Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook lattice Boltzmann model, in the Appendix. These appended schemes closely follow those developed by Guo et al. [Phys. Rev. E 65, 046308 (2002)] for the single-relaxation-time scheme.