Application of Lattice Boltzmann Method in Indoor Airflow Simulation

In this paper, an emerging alternative computational technique, the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), was used to study indoor airflows. Emphasis was placed on low-Reynolds-number indoor airflow fields in a model room with a partition. The predicted results by LBM are compared with available experimental data and results predicted by traditional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with the RNG k-epsilon turbulence model. For the model room case, it is found that the computational results of LBM agree very well with the experimental data in terms of airflow velocities. The unsteady-procedure-based LBM has the capability to capture more detailed airflow structures than the traditional steady CFD method, which tends to smooth out the flow fields. LBM is further demonstrated through simulation of airflow in a relatively more complex environment, a model ward with 10 beds. The improved resolution in flow field prediction by LBM comes with a moderate increase in computational time requirement.