Date & Time: 
Thu, 04/05/2018 - 11:30am
Speaker: 
Leitao Chen
Affiliation: 
Rice University
Location: 

Discovery Park F175

Abstract: 

The Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) has shown a great advantage over Navier-Stokes Equation (NSE) for multi-scale transports due to its intrinsic kinetic nature that allows a more accurate solution of the underlying physics in a wider range of Knudsen number (Kn). However, such a physical advantage of the LBM is highly constrained due to its uniform and rigid Cartesian mesh structure that is the result of a special numerical coupling of three spaces (velocity, configuration, and time). By using the discrete Boltzmann method (DBM) that is physically the same as the LBM but numerically different, the discretization of particle velocity space can be naturally decoupled from configuration and time spaces, which allows the use of unstructured mesh to capture different length scales. When combining unstructured mesh with the DBM (UDBM), the power of multi-scale modeling can be truly unleashed. However, as another example of there is no free lunch, the UDBM suffers greater numerical errors (mainly numerical viscosity) than the LBM. In this seminar, Dr. Chen will introduce his efforts on the mitigation of this numerical challenge of the UDBM.

Biography: 

Dr. Leitao Chen is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Rice University. His research is currently focused on the development of the unstructured discrete Boltzmann method (UDBM) for multi-scale mass and thermal transport problems. He is also interested in the research related to energy systems, thermal management and low-grade heat recovery. Dr. Chen received his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, where he saw the potential of DBM for modeling the unconventional transports such as those in porous media and developed the computational foundation of the UDBM. Dr. Chen is a very active member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and American Society of Thermal and Fluids Engineering (ASTFE), where he has been providing high-quality service for many committees of heat transfer and fluid engineering divisions.

Department:

Mechanical Engineering