Graphics processing unit accelerated lattice Boltzmann method simulations of dilute gravity currents

Adekanye, Damilola; Khan, Amirul; Burns, Alan; McCaffrey, William; Geier, Martin; Schönherr, Martin; Dorrell, Robert

Abstract

Lattice Boltzmann method models offer a novel framework for the simulation of high Reynolds number dilute gravity currents. The numerical algorithm is well suited to acceleration via implementation on massively parallel computer architectures. Here we present two lattice Boltzmann method models of lock-exchange dilute gravity currents, in which the largest turbulent length scales are directly resolved. The three-dimensional simulations are accelerated by exporting computations to a graphics processing unit and are validated against experiments and high-resolution simulations for Reynolds numbers up to 30,000. The lattice Boltzmann method models achieve equivalent accuracy to conventional large eddy simulation models in the prediction of key flow properties. A conservative analysis of computational performance relative to conventional methods indicates that the presented framework reduces simulation times by two orders of magnitude. Therefore, it can be used as a foundation for the development of depth-resolving models that capture more of the complexity of environmental gravity currents.

Citation

Adekanye, D., Khan, A., Burns, A., McCaffrey, W., Geier, M., Schönherr, M., & Dorrell, R. (2022). Graphics processing unit accelerated lattice Boltzmann method simulations of dilute gravity currents. Physics of Fluids, 34(4), Article 046602. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0082959

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 7, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Apr 7, 2022
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2022
• Deposit Date: Feb 19, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 20, 2024
• Journal: Physics of Fluids
• Print ISSN: 1070-6631
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 34
• Issue: 4
• Article Number: 046602
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0082959
• Keywords: Graphics processing units; Gravity currents; Lattice Boltzmann methods
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3903858