An improved Non-Dimensional Lattice Boltzmann Method (NDLBM) is developed and a uniform computational
code is compiled to fit into both direct and porous medium model simulations. Comparison studies
based on natural convection of 240 cylindrical tube bundle heat exchangers immersed in a thin
rectangular solar storage tank show the computational efficiency and accuracy of both direct simulations
and porous medium model simulations achieved by using NDLBM. The governing parameters in the macroscopic,
microscopic, and mesoscopic length scales corresponding to the enclosure width, tube diameter,
and mesh size are obtained. Transient isotherms, streamlines, Nusselt numbers, and CPU time of nine
models have been simulated for various pitch, porosity, and distributions of tubes. Given the same grid
number and simulation time, the CPU time of the porous medium model simulations by using NDLBM is
about 1/60 of that of porous medium simulations by using finite difference based on projection method,
and 1/20 of that of the direct simulations with the uniform code based on NDLBM. The porous medium
simulations can only obtain Darcy velocity and volume averaged temperature, while the direct simulations
can obtain both macroscopic and microscopic velocity and temperatur