Monte Carlo simulation of rarefied gas flow induced by wall temperature gradient

Abstract

Two dimensional rarefied gas flows in the free molecular limit between parallel flat plates with sinusoidal temperature distribution were simulated by the direct simulation Monte Carlo method. A Maxwell type reflection model which incorporated two accommodation coefficients for the probability of the diffuse reflection αn and αt, for molecular velocities normal to and parallel to the wall was applied to the boundary condition of the plates. The flow induced by the wall temperature gradient was not observed for the condition of αn = αt which has already been worked out by Sone [J. Mec. Theor. Appl. 3, 315 (1984)]. However three types of flows involving combinations of vortical flows and creep flows along a surface were simulated according to the set of two accommodation coefficients αn and αt.