Discrete unified gas kinetic scheme for multiscale heat transfer based on the phonon Boltzmann transport equation

Abstract

Numerical prediction of multiscale heat transfer is a challenging problem due to the wide range of time and length scales involved. In this work a discrete unified gas kinetic scheme (DUGKS) is developed for heat transfer in materials with different acoustic thickness based on the phonon Boltzmann equation. With discrete phonon direction, the Boltzmann equation is discretized with a second-order finite-volume formulation, in which the time-step is fully determined by the Courant–Friedrichs–Lewy (CFL) condition. The scheme has the asymptotic preserving (AP) properties for both diffusive and ballistic regimes, and can present accurate solutions in the whole transition regime as well. The DUGKS is a self-adaptive multiscale method for the capturing of local transport process. Numerical tests for both heat transfers with different Knudsen numbers are presented to validate the current method.