Comparing with conventional CFD methods

the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is a more efficient approach to deal with flows in complex structures

such as porous media.Moreover

it is an ideal tool for parallel processing. LBM was used to simulate gas flow through ceramic filter.Two kinds of filters were analyzed

one was the filter without membrane

the other was the membrane filter.Porous media structures for simulation were generated based on scanning electron microscope images of the ceramic filter tube.For the small time scale and small spatial scale in this issue

huge calculation load was inevitable.In order to fulfill these requirements

parallel computing was used.For the ceramic filter without membrane

the velocity and pressure in pores under different conditions were analyzed

and the influence of pore structure on velocity was observed.The flow through the ceramic filter with membrane was also simulated.It is concluded that the pressure drop through the membrane accounts for a large percentage of the filter’s total pressure drop.