Validating the Boltzmann approach to the large-eddy simulations of forced homogeneous incompressible turbulence

The simulation of turbulent flows remains a central challenge, as even our most powerful computers cannot resolve the finest scales of motion in many flows of practical interest. As a result, the effects of unresolved scales on large eddies must be modeled via closures and coarse-graining procedures. Large-eddy simulation (LES) traditionally coarse-grains Navier–Stokes equations using Smagorinsky’s effective viscosity model. This has the merit of simplicity but fails to account for strong nonequilibrium effects, as they typically arise in most flows in the vicinity of solid walls, the reason being that the notion of eddy viscosity assumes scale separation between small and large eddies, an assumption that fails for high-Reynolds flows far from equilibrium. The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) offers an alternative by coarse-graining at the kinetic level, potentially capturing nonequilibrium effects beyond reach of hydrodynamic closures. This paper addresses the question as to whether LBM-Smagorinsky LES of forced homogeneous isotropic turbulence (FHIT) exhibits kinetic behavior. We test whether the turbulent Knudsen number [Formula: see text], measuring scale separation, reaches order one (kinetic regime) or remains asymptotically small (hydrodynamic regime). Using reference DNS and LES on lattices of size [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], in lattice units (lu), at [Formula: see text], we quantify [Formula: see text] via spatial maps, temporal statistics, energy spectra and higher-order moments. Results show [Formula: see text], strictly positive without negative excursions, with spectra and flatness following canonical LES behavior. We conclude that despite its kinetic formulation, LBM-Smagorinsky LES operates in the hydrodynamic regime, with small FHIT eddies remaining in local equilibrium with larger ones, validating Smagorinsky viscosity and confirming that LBM-LES functions as conventional hydrodynamic LES while preserving lattice Boltzmann efficiency and locality.