Generalized newtonian fluid simulations

Abstract

We present an approach to simulate both Newtonian and generalized Newtonian fluids using Lattice Boltzmann Method. The focus has been on accurately modelling non-Newtonian fluids at the micro channel level from biological fluids in the past. Our method can model macroscopic behaviour of such fluids by simulating the variation of properties such as viscosity through the bulk of the fluid. The method works regardless of the magnitude of flow, be it through a thin tube or a large quantity of liquid splashing in a container. We simulate the change in viscosity of a generalized Newtonian fluid and its free surface interactions with obstacles and boundaries. We harness the inherent parallelism of Lattice Boltzmann Method to give a fast GPU implementation for the same.