We introduce a lattice Boltzmann computational scheme capable of modeling thermohydrodynamic flows of monatomic gases. The parallel nature of this approach provides a numerically efficient alternative to traditional methods of computational fluid dynamics. The scheme uses a small number of discrete velocity states and a linear, single-time relaxation collision operator. Numerical simulations in two dimensions agree well with exact solutions for adiabatic sound propagation and Couette flow with heat transfer.

• Received 23 July 1992

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.47.R2249