Lattice-BGK approach to simulating granular flows

Many continuum theories for granular flow produce an equation of motion for the fluctuating kinetic energy density (granular temperature) that accounts for the energy lost in inelastic collisions. Apart from the presence of an extra dissipative term, this equation is very similar in form to the usual temperature equation in hydrodynamics. It is shown how a lattice-kinetic model based on the Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook (BGK) equation that was previously derived for a miscible two-component fluid may be modified to model the continuum equations for granular flow. This is done by noting that the variable corresponding to the concentration of one species follows an equation that is essentially analogous to the granular temperature equation. A simulation of an unforced granular fluid using the modified model reproduces the phenomenon of clustering instability, namely the spontaneous agglomeration of particles into dense clusters, which occurs generically in all granular flows. The success of the continuum theory in capturing the gross features of this basic phenomenon is discussed. Some shear flow simulations are also presented.