Application of the lattice boltzmann method to the flow past a sphere

Abstract

The results of fully resolved simulations and large eddy simulations of bluff-body flows obtained by means of the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) are reported. A selection of Reynolds numbers has been investigated in unsteady laminar and transient flow regimes. Computed drag coefficients of a cube have been compared with the available data for validation purposes. Then, a more detailed analysis of the flow past a sphere is presented, including also the determination of vortex shedding frequency and the resulting Strouhal numbers. Advantages and drawbacks of the chosen geometry implementation technique, so called "staircase geometry", are discussed. For the quest of maximum computational efficiency, all simulations have been carried out with the use of in-house code executed on GPU.