SIMULATING 3-DIMENSIONAL HYDRODYNAMICS ON A CELLULAR-AUTOMATA MACHINE

We demonstrate how three-dimensional fluid flow simulations can be carried out on the Cellular Automata Machine 8 (CAM-8), a special-purpose computer for cellular automata computations. The principal algorithmic innovation is the use of a lattice gas model with a 16-bit collision operator that is specially adapted to the machine architecture. It is shown how the collision rules can be optimized to obtain a low viscosity of the fluid. Predictions of the viscosity based on a Boltzmann approximation agree well with measurements of the viscosity made on CAM-8. Several test simulations of flows in simple geometries-channels, pipes, and a cubic array of spheres-are carried out. Measurements of average flux in these geometries compare well with theoretical predictions.