Numerical simulations of the airflows in a wine-aging room: A lattice Boltzmann-Immersed Boundary study

In this paper, the airflows developing in a room devoted to the wine-aging process are numerically predicted. A real study case is investigated, regarding an Italian company operating in the wine sector. The airflow is modeled by adopting the lattice Boltzmann method. Specifically, large eddy simulations are performed through the Smagorinsky turbulence model. In order to account for the presence of walls and barrels, the Immersed Boundary method is used. Scenarios characterized by different layouts of the room are investigated, showing the incidence of an extra opening in the room on the whole air circulation. Present findings can be successfully used by wine-makers, since these provide the effectiveness of a numerical framework which predicts the developing of the airflow.