Grad's approximation for missing data in lattice Boltzmann simulations

Engineering applications of computational fluid dynamics typically require specification of the boundary conditions at the inlet and at the outlet. It is known that the accuracy and stability of simulations is greatly influenced by the boundary conditions even at moderate Reynolds numbers. In this paper, we derive a new outflow boundary condition for the lattice Boltzmann simulations from non-equilibrium thermodynamics and Grad's moment closure. The proposed boundary condition is validated with a three-dimensional simulation of a backward facing step flow. Results demonstrate that the new outlet condition significantly extends the simulation capability of the lattice Boltzmann method.