Generalized lattice Boltzmann method for radiative transfer problem in slab and irregular graded-index media

The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) has been developed as a powerful solution method in computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer. However, the development of the LBM for solving radiative transfer problems has been far from perfect. This paper proposes a generalized form of the lattice Boltzmann model for the multidimensional radiative transfer equation (RTE) in irregular geometry with a graded index based on body-fitted coordinates. The macroscopic RTE is recovered from Chapman-Enskog analysis, which provides two possible procedures to formulate the Boltzmann equation in graded-index media and irregular geometries. These proposed models have been tested by considering one-and two-dimensional problems of the RTE, and the benchmark solutions reported in the literature were used for comparisons. Afterwards, the LBM is used to analyze the radiation transport in graded-index media for various forms of scattering law, refractive index, boundary reflection, laser and optical properties, and temperatures. The graded-index function and the geometry type have a significant effect on radiative transport in cases in which the refractive index matches or mismatches the boundary. It is also apparent that the developed LBM is an efficient, powerful, robust, and accurate solver for radiative transport in inhomogeneous media with a graded-index function and irregular geometries.