Lattice Boltzmann model for crystal growth from supersaturated solution

We develop a new, lattice effects‐free lattice Boltzmann model for simulating crystal growth from supersaturated solution. Simulations of crystal growth from a single or multiple nuclei in a domain initially filled with supersaturated solution are presented, such as in the case of gas hydrate formation. We find that as the process changes from diffusion‐controlled to surface reaction‐controlled, the crystal transforms from open cluster‐type structure, via compact coral‐type structure, to compact circular structure, and correspondingly, the fractal dimension of the crystal structure increases from a value close to that of a diffusion‐limited aggregation (DLA) structure to the Euclidian value for a circle. At a high Damkohler number, crystal formed from a single nucleus becomes more compact as the saturation increases. At a low Damkohler number, the crystal has a fairly round shape for different saturation values and the effect of saturation is insignificant.