Lattice Boltzmann model for the convection-diffusion equation

We propose a lattice Boltzmann (LB) model for the convection-diffusion equation (CDE) and show that the CDE can be recovered correctly from the model by the Chapman-Enskog analysis. The most striking feature of the present LB model is that it enables the collision process to be implemented locally, making it possible to retain the advantage of the lattice Boltzmann method in the study of the heat and mass transfer in complex geometries. A local scheme for computing the heat and mass fluxes is then proposed to replace conventional nonlocal finite-difference schemes. We further validate the present model and the local scheme for computing the flux against analytical solutions to several classical problems, and we show that both the model for the CDE and the computational scheme for the flux have a second-order convergence rate in space. It is also demonstrated the present model is more accurate than existing LB models for the CDE.