Velocity profile in the Knudsen layer according to the Boltzmann equation

Abstract

Flow of a dilute gas near a solid surface exhibits non-continuum effects that are manifested in the Knudsen layer. The non-Newtonian nature of the flow in this region has been the subject of a number of recent studies suggesting that the so-called ‘effective viscosity’ at a solid surface is half that of the standard dynamic viscosity. Using the Boltzmann equation with a diffusely reflecting surface and hard sphere molecules, Lilley & Sader discovered that the flow exhibits a striking power-law dependence on distance from the solid surface where the velocity gradient is singular. Importantly, these findings (i) contradict these recent claims and (ii) are not predicted by existing high-order hydrodynamic flow models. Here, we examine the applicability of these findings to surfaces with arbitrary thermal accommodation and molecules that are more realistic than hard spheres. This study demonstrates that the velocity gradient singularity and power-law dependence arise naturally from the Boltzmann equation, regardless of the degree of thermal accommodation. These results are expected to be of particular value in the development of hydrodynamic models beyond the Boltzmann equation and in the design and characterization of nanoscale flows.