Is the lattice Boltzmann method suited for aeroacoustic applications ?

Lattice Boltzmann method has become a common tool for computational fluid dynamics. Thanks to the weak numerical dissipation of the numerical scheme, it seems very well fitted for aeroacoustics studies. However there exists only few validations in literature. In this semester project we propose to evaluate on a simple and well known case (laminar flow past one or two cylinders) the ability of the method to reproduce the aeroacoustic fields in a reliable manner. Firstly, we present the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) and, in order to get familiar with LBM, a simple Matlab code is written and the flow past a 2D cylinder is simulated. Then, the ability of LBM to simulate aeroacoustics is tested. With this aim, the Palabos library (open-source and based on C++) is used to run the simulation in a more efficient way. The wake cylinder flow is one of the most studied and well known flow and it is therefore natural to validate the numerical scheme with this flow case. The LBM has to be validated for such particular case where numerical simulations tries to catch tiny variations of pressure. The simulations of the flow obtained with the LBM are compared to the results obtained in literature.