Development of an object-oriented three-dimensional Burnett equations solver for computing hypersonic flows in continuum-transition regime

In hypersonic flows about space vehicles in low earth orbits or flows in microchannels of microelectromechanical devices, the local Knudsen number lies in the continuum–transition regime. Navier–Stokes equations are not adequate to model these flows since they are based on small deviation from local thermodynamic equilibrium. To model these flows, a number of extended hydrodynamics or generalized hydrodynamics models have been proposed over the past fifty years, along with the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) approach. One of these models is the Burnett equations which are obtained from the Chapman–Enskog expansion of the Boltzmann equation [with Knudsen number (Kn) as a small parameter] to O(Kn2). With the currently available computing power, it has been possible in recent years to numerically solve the Burnett equations. However, attempts at solving the Burnett equations have uncovered many physical and numerical difficulties with the Burnett model. As a result, several improvements to the conventional Burnett equations have been proposed in recent years to address both the physical and numerical issues; two of the most well known are the “augmented Burnett equations” and the “BGK–Burnett equations.” This paper traces the history of the Burnett model and describes some of the recent developments. The relationship between the Burnett equations and the Grad’s 13 moment equations is elucidated by employing the Maxwell–Truesdell–Green iteration. Numerical solutions are provided to assess the accuracy and applicability of Burnett equations for modeling flows in the continuum–transition regime. The important issue of surface boundary conditions is addressed. Computations are compared with the available experimental data, Navier–Stokes calculations, Burnett solutions of other investigators, and DSMC solutions as much as possible.

This paper presents a comparative study of the solutions of the augmented Burnett and BGK-Burnett equations with the Maxwell-Smoluchowski first- and second-order boundary conditions. The hypersonic blunt body problem has been solved to study the effects of these higher-order boundary conditions. Solutions are presented for free stream Knudsen numbers 0.01 and 0.1. The solutions of the augmented Burnett and BGK-Burnett equations with these higher-order boundary conditions are compared with the solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations with the first- and second-order slip boundary conditions.

The flow characteristics and heat transfer in micro couette flow were studied numerically using three methods: Burnett equations, direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method and information preservation (IP) method. The results of these three methods are compared to each other. Convergent solutions to the conventional Burnett equations with second order velocity-slip and temperature-jump boundary conditions were obtained on arbitrary fine numerical grids for all Knudsen numbers (Kn) up to the limit of the equations' validity. The non-dimensional wall shear stress and heat flux shows good agreement with DSMC results and are better than first order slip boundary condition. The velocity slip and temperature jump calculated from Burnett equations fit DSMC results well when Kn < 0.3 but departure at higher Kn number. The IP method shows an identical velocity distribution with DSMC at low speed, but costs much less time. Perfect agreement was achieved in the density, velocity, temperature and pressure distributions between the results of Burnett equations and IP method at Kn = 0.02 and 0.1. Burnett equations and IP method are better than Navier-Stokes equation and DSMC method, respectively, in the flow and heat transfer in MEMS or NEMS systems

Recently a new system of field equations for the accurate description of flows in rarefied gases, called regularized 13-moment equations, was obtained by means of a hybrid gas kinetic approach. The first part of this paper discusses the relationship of the new system to classical high-order theories like the Burnett and super-Burnett equations as well as to modified models like the augmented and regularized Burnett equations. In the second part, shock structure calculations with the new theory are presented and compared to direct-simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) solutions and to solutions of the Burnett models. Owing to additional higher-order dissipation in the system, the profiles are smooth for any Mach number, in contrast to the results of Grad's 13-moment case. The results show reliable quantitative agreement with DSMC simulations for Mach numbers up to $M_{0}\approx 3.0$. The agreement is better for Maxwell molecules than for hard spheres. The results of the augmented Burnett equations are comparable, but these equations are shown to be spatially unstable. Additionally, a validiation procedure for the new equations is presented by investigating the positivity of Grad's distribution function.

The Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method was widely used to simulate low density gas flows with large Knudsen numbers. However, DSMC encounters limitations in the regime of lower Knudsen numbers (Kn<0.05). In such cases, approaches from classical computational fluid dynamics (CFD) relying on the continuum assumption are preferred, offering accurate solutions at acceptable computational costs. In experiments aimed at imaging aerosolized nanoparticles in vacuo a wide range of Knudsen numbers occur, which motivated the present study on the analysis of the advantages and drawbacks of DSMC and CFD simulations of rarefied flows in terms of accuracy and computational effort. Furthermore, the potential of hybrid methods is evaluated. For this purpose, DSMC and CFD simulations of the flow inside a convergent–divergent nozzle (internal expanding flow) and the flow around a conical body (external shock generating flow) were carried out. CFD simulations utilize the software OpenFOAM and the DSMC solution is obtained using the software SPARTA. The results of these simulation techniques are evaluated by comparing them with experimental data (1), evaluating the time-to-solution (2) and the energy consumption (3), and assessing the feasibility of hybrid CFD-DSMC approaches (4).

In the present work, compressible flow of argon gas in the famous problem of Couette flow in micro/nano-scale is considered and numerically analyzed using the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. The effects of compressibility and rarefaction on entropy and entropy generation in terms of viscous dissipation and thermal diffusion are studied in a wide range of Mach and Knudsen numbers and the observed physics are discussed. In this regard, we computed entropy by using its kinetic theory formulation in a microscopic way while the entropy generation distribution is achieved by applying a semi-microscopic approach and thoroughly free from equilibrium assumptions. The results of our simulations demonstrated that the entropy profiles are in accordance with the temperature profiles. It is also illustrated that the increase of Mach number will result in non-uniform entropy profiles with increase in the vicinity of the central regions of the channel. Moreover, generation of entropy in all regions of the domain stages clear growth. By contrast, increasing the Knudsen number has inverse effects such as: uniform entropy profiles and a falling off in entropy generation amount throughout the channel.

Abstract

A hybrid particle scheme, which is based on the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method and incorporates a low diffusion particle method for continuum flow simulation, is extended for improved efficiency and wider applicability. The hybrid scheme is intended for simulation of gas flows involving a wide range of Knudsen number regimes, where strong coupling is desired between calculations in rarefied and continuum flowfield regions. A series of modifications are presented for cell-based numerical weight and time step adaptation, diffusive transport of nonequilibrium internal energy modes, and decreased sensitivity to DSMC cell size. Proposed modifications are employed in a hybrid simulation of a Mach 20 flow around a cylinder with a global Knudsen number of 0.002, for which a factor of 2.6 efficiency increase relative to full DSMC computation is demonstrated. I. Introduction n a variety of gas flow problems, portions of the flowfield exhibit large translational nonequilibrium effects and require relatively expensive simulation techniques based on the Boltzmann equation, while other regions are within low Knudsen number (Kn) continuum flow regimes and can be prohibitively expensive to simulate using such Boltzmann equation techniques. These “multiscale” flow problems include flows around atmospheric entry vehicles and hypersonic aircraft, where local Kn values based on gradient length scales may be very small through much of the flowfield but become large within shock, forebody boundary layer and wake regions. Other examples include rocket exhaust plumes and fuel venting flows at high altitude, where the mean free path may differ by several orders of magnitude between nearfield and farfield regions. A. Simulation Methods for Multiscale Gas Flows Accurate simulations may be performed for some of these flows using a two step, one-way coupled approach. 1-3 In this type of approach, continuum and rarefied regions are considered independently and different simulation techniques are applied in each region. In general, however, effects of two-way coupling between rarefied and continuum regions must be considered, and a single simulation employing a coupled hybrid algorithm is required. In one popular type of hybrid algorithm, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique based on the Navier-Stokes equations is used in low-Kn continuum regions, the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method is employed in rarefied regions, and additional procedures are used for evaluation of continuum breakdown and two-way information transfer between CFD and DSMC calculations.

In this study, direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method, the Navier-Stokes equations, and the Burnett equations are applied to micro-Couette flow to investigate flow and heat transfer characteristics in the slip and transition flow regimes. The unique solutions of the Burnett equations are obtained through determination of additional boundary condition for pressure using the results of DSMC. The effect of rarefaction on velocity, temperature, and pressure distributions is analyzed. The nondimensional parameter PrE characterizing convective heat transfer in Coutte flow increases as flow becomes more rarefied. The prediction of shear stress and heat flux at wall shows that the solution of the Burnett equations is superior than that of the Navier-Stokes equations at relatively high Kn number in the slip flow regime, but the Burnett equations with the slip boundary condition, which is proportional to Kn number, cannot be extended to the transition flow regime.

Rarefied gas flow around a double-plate induced by temperature difference

Recent success in applying the Burnett equations to the one-dimensional shock-structure problem has raised the issue of whether the full Burnett equations can be used replace the Navier-Stokes equations for solving boundary-value problems in rarefied gasdynamics. As is familiar from the classical rarefied gasdynamics literature, the Burnett equations, if not solved as a successive approximation to the Navier-Stokes equations for a small Knudsen number, would require more boundary conditions than those in the Navier-Stokes system, owing to the presence of the higher-order derivatives. In this paper, this issue is examined with concrete solution examples for the steady Couette flows, addressing specifically whether solutions to the full Burnett equations can be uniquely determined without adding more boundary conditions than those in the Navier-Stokes system. The analysis, supported by detailed numerical solutions, confirms that additional boundary conditions are needed as long as the Knudsen number is not identically zero, lest the solution to the Burnett equations is not unique.

Flow and thermal field investigation of rarefied gas in a trapezoidal micro/nano-cavity using DSMC

This paper describes the computations of hypersonic flows in a diatomic gas in rotational nonequilibrium using a newly developed simplified set of Burnett equations designated as simplified conventional Burnett equations. Since the original formulation by Burnett, a number of variations to the original Burnett equations have been proposed, and the differences among these variants and their merits/shortcomings have been described in the literature. A new variant is created based on the conventional Burnett equations for hypersonic flows by neglecting higher-order terms that are inversely proportional to the Mach number. This set of simplified conventional Burnett equations is linearly stable for small disturbances in contrast to the conventional Burnett equations that suffer from Bobylev instability. To simulate the rotational nonequilibrium effect in a diatomic gas, both the Navier–Stokes and the simplified conventional Burnett equations are modified by including a rotational nonequilibrium relaxation model. The flow variables (density and translational and rotational temperature) for one-dimensional shock structure, flow past a two-dimensional cylinder, and an axisymmetric bicone in nitrogen are computed using both the simplified conventional Burnett and Navier–Stokes equations in the continuum-transition regime and are compared with the direct simulation Monte Carlo results. Simplified conventional Burnett calculations are in close agreement with the direct simulation Monte Carlo results at high Mach numbers.

Hypersonic aerothermodynamics for a probe entering a planetary atmosphere is an important issue in space exploration.The probe experiences various Knudsen number regimes, ranging from rarefied to continuum, due to density variation in the planet's atmosphere.To simulate such multiscale flows, a novel hybrid particle scheme is employed in the present work.The hybrid particle scheme employs the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method in rarefied flow regions and the low diffusion (LD) particle method in continuum flow regions.Numerical procedures in the low diffusion particle method are implemented within an existing DSMC algorithm.The hybrid scheme is assessed by studying Mach 10 nitrogen flow over a sphere with a global Knudsen number of 0.002.Standard DSMC and CFD results are compared with the LD-DSMC hybrid simulation results.The hybrid scheme results show good overall agreement with results from standard DSMC computation, while CFD is inaccurate especially in the wake where a highly rarefied region exists.The LD-DSMC hybrid solution is able to increase computational efficiency by 20% in comparison to DSMC.Also, a module initializing the LD-DSMC hybrid method with a Navier-Stokes solution is developed.The initialized solution agrees well with DSMC and requires only 45% of the resources.

The supersonic flow of a monatomic gas consisting of hard spherical particles past a flat strip normal to the flow is investigated using the direct simulation Monte-Carlo (DSMC) method. The calculations are performed over the Knudsen and Mach number ranges 0.015–5 and 1.8–15, respectively. The structure of the compressed layer and the aerodynamic characteristics are systematically studied for the Mach number 5 and various Knudsen numbers. The dependences of the compressed-layer thickness in molecular free paths are found. The nonequilibrium processes in the neighborhood of the strip are described on the basis of the data on the temperature anisotropy with respect to three coordinates.