A Unified Framework for Modeling Continuum and Rarefied Gas Flows

The momentum and heat transport in rarefied gas flows is known to deviate from the classical laws of Navier and Fourier in Navier-Stokes-Fourier (NSF) equations. A more sophisticated Nonlinear Coupled Constitutive Model (NCCM) has been derived from the Boltzmann equation to describe gaseous and thermal transport both in continuum and rarefied gas flows. We first develop a unified numerical framework for modeling continuum and rarefied flows based on the NCCM model both in two and three dimensions. Special treatment is given to the complex highly nonlinear transport equations for non-conserved variables that arise from the high degree of thermal nonequilibrium. For verification and validation, we apply the present scheme to a stiff problem of hypersonic gas flows around a 2D cylinder, a 3D sphere, and the Apollo configuration both in continuum and rarefied situations. The results show that the present unified framework yields solutions that are in better agreement with the benchmark and experimental data than are the NSF results in all studied cases of rarefied problems. Good agreement is observed between the present study and the NSF results for continuum cases. The results show that this study provides a unified framework for modeling continuum and rarefied gas flows.