SUMMARY

The thermal lattice-Boltzmann method will be compared to the hybrid method in cavity flow situations following a flow simulations with the lattice-Boltzmann method. Lid-driven cavity flow is a well documented flow type and is simulated for comparison purposes of the thermal lattice-Boltzmann method and the hybrid method that utilized the energy equation. It is practical to simulate cavity flow due to the distinct flow patterns that emerge as the flow develops. The flow and temperature field results will be validated through simulations of Couette flow. The flow will also be compared to the velocity data Ghia et al. generated through simulation of cavity flow. The thermal lattice-Boltzmann method will be compared to the temperature fields generated by the energy equation of the hybrid method after the energy equation results are validated by the simulation of Couette flow. The effect of the Reynolds number is considered as the two methods for determining thermal flows are compared. To determine which method is better suited from computer simulations the two will be compared for computational demands and the speed of both convergence and computation. The results will shows that the two methods produce very similar results. However, the thermal lattice-Boltzmann method is much more intensive computationally. It is safe to conclude that the hybrid method is a much more practical method to use in solving thermal flows. The hybrid method is better suited for simulations based on the fact that it is less computationally intensive and accurate.