Numerical Methods for the Kinetic Theory of Fluids

This chapter provides a bird’s eye view of the main numerical particle methods used in the kinetic theory of fluids, the main purpose being of locating Lattice Boltzmann in the broader context of computational kinetic theory. The leading numerical methods for dense and rarified fluids are Molecular Dynamics (MD) and Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC), respectively. These methods date of the mid 50s and 60s, respectively, and, ever since, they have undergone a series of impressive developments and refinements which have turned them in major tools of investigation, discovery and design. However, they are both very demanding on computational grounds, which motivates a ceaseless demand for new and improved variants aimed at enhancing their computational efficiency without losing physical fidelity and vice versa, enhance their physical fidelity without compromising computational viability.