We document the derivation and implementation of extensions to a two-dimensional, multicomponent lattice Boltzmann equation model, with Laplace law interfacial tension. The extended model behaves in such a way that the boundary between its immiscible drop and embedding fluid components can be shown to describe a vesicle of constant volume bounded by a membrane with conserved length, specified interface compressibility, bending rigidity, preferred curvature, and interfacial tension. We describe how to apply this result to several, independent vesicles. The extended scheme is completely Eulerian, and it represents a two-way coupled vesicle membrane and flow within a single framework. Unlike previous methods, our approach dispenses entirely with the need explicitly to track the membrane, or boundary, and makes no use whatsoever of computationally expensive and intricate interface tracking and remeshing. Validation data are presented, which demonstrate the utility of the method in the simulation of the flow of high volume fraction suspensions of deformable objects.

• Received 18 July 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.87.023307