High-order thermal lattice Boltzmann models derived by means of Gauss quadrature in the spherical coordinate system

We use the spherical coordinate system in the momentum space and an appropriate discretization procedure to derive a hierarchy of lattice Boltzmann (LB) models with variable temperature. The separation of the integrals in the momentum space into angular and radial parts allows us to compute the moments of the equilibrium distribution function by means of Gauss-Legendre and Gauss-Laguerre quadratures, as well as to find the elements of the discrete momentum set for each LB model in the hierarchy. The capability of the high-order models in this hierarchy to capture specific effects in microfluidics is investigated through a computer simulation of Couette flow by using the Shakhov collision term to get the right value of the Prandtl number.