Lattice Boltzmann Method: applications to thermal fluid dynamics and energy systems

In many energy systems fluids play a fundamental role, and computational simulations are a valuable tool to study their complex dynamics. The Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) is a relatively new numerical method for computational fluid dynamics, but its applications can be extended to physical phenomena beyond fluid flows. This thesis presents applications of the LBM to thermal fluid dynamics and energy systems. Specific applications considered are: application to nuclear reactor engineering problems; thermal fluid dynamic behavior of a Natural Circulation Loop; nanoparticles gravitational sedimentation; acoustical problems. The main original contributions derived from this work are: first, the systematic description of the current status of LBM applications to nuclear reactors problems, including test cases and benchmark simulations; second, the development and validation of a LBM model for a single-phase natural circulation loop; third, the development and validation of a LBM model for gravitational sedimentation of nanoparticles, and fourth, the systematic description of the current status of LBM applications to acoustics, including simulations of test cases. The development of this thesis was not limited to simulations; experimental studies in parallel connected natural circulation loops of small inner diameter were conducted, showing the wide applicability of the one-dimensional theoretical models used to validate the LBM results. Additional contributions derived from this work: 1. the applicability of the method to study neutron transport and nuclear waste disposal using porous materials was shown. 2. changes in the thermophysical performance of the natural circulation loop when the loop reached a non-laminar (transition) regime were found at a Reynolds number lower than the typical range. 3. variable diffusion and sedimentation parameters were effective to model the experimental sedimentation curves. In conclusion, this work shows that the LBM is a versatile and powerful computational tool that can be used beyond the common Computational Fluid Dynamics applications.