A method for simulating the effect of tortuosity of a porous medium on the acoustic behavior of a fluid in the porous medium, wherein i) the porous medium comprises static components and surfaces within an interior cabin of a vehicle and ii) the fluid comprises air in the interior of the cabin, wherein the method is performed by a data processing apparatus and comprises: generating by a data processing program of the data processing apparatus, a lattice Boltzmann model of acoustic behavior of the fluid in the porous medium, the lattice Boltzmann model comprising a linearized system of Navier-Stokes equations that include time variable indicative of a sound speed of the fluid, a fluid velocity variable, and a static pressure variable; rescaling each of the time variable of the model, the fluid velocity variable, and the static pressure variable based on the sound speed in the fluid in the porous medium, wherein the rescaling accounts for the effect of tortuosity in the porous medium; simulating the acoustic behavior including the effect of tortuosity of the porous medium based on the rescaling of the time variable of the model, the fluid velocity variable, and the static pressure variable, the simulating comprising generating a linearized system of rescaled Navier-Stokes equations that include the rescaled time variable, fluid velocity variable, and static pressure variable, wherein the linearized system of rescaled Navier-Stokes equations have a same form as the linearized system of Navier-Stokes equations included in the lattice Boltzmann model, and using a lattice Boltzmann model solver to solve the linearized system of rescaled Navier-Stokes equations; and predicting, using results of simulating of the acoustic behavior, fan or flow induced noise sources and their acoustic propagation through an HVAC system of the vehicle to the interior cabin of the vehicle. generating by a data processing program of the data processing apparatus, a lattice Boltzmann model of acoustic behavior of the fluid in the porous medium, the lattice Boltzmann model comprising a linearized system of Navier-Stokes equations that include time variable indicative of a sound speed of the fluid, a fluid velocity variable, and a static pressure variable; rescaling each of the time variable of the model, the fluid velocity variable, and the static pressure variable based on the sound speed in the fluid in the porous medium, wherein the rescaling accounts for the effect of tortuosity in the porous medium; simulating the acoustic behavior including the effect of tortuosity of the porous medium based on the rescaling of the time variable of the model, the fluid velocity variable, and the static pressure variable, the simulating comprising generating a linearized system of rescaled Navier-Stokes equations that include the rescaled time variable, fluid velocity variable, and static pressure variable, wherein the linearized system of rescaled Navier-Stokes equations have a same form as the linearized system of Navier-Stokes equations included in the lattice Boltzmann model, and using a lattice Boltzmann model solver to solve the linearized system of rescaled Navier-Stokes equations; and generating a linearized system of rescaled Navier-Stokes equations that include the rescaled time variable, fluid velocity variable, and static pressure variable, wherein the linearized system of rescaled Navier-Stokes equations have a same form as the linearized system of Navier-Stokes equations included in the lattice Boltzmann model, and using a lattice Boltzmann model solver to solve the linearized system of rescaled Navier-Stokes equations; and predicting, using results of simulating of the acoustic behavior, fan or flow induced noise sources and their acoustic propagation through an HVAC system of the vehicle to the interior cabin of the vehicle. <EOS>