What Does Kinetic Theory Have to Do with Hydraulics?

Abstract

This forum article introduces the fundamental equation of kinetic theory the Boltzmann equation and highlights some of its potential usefulness in hydraulics and fluid mechanics. The potential of using kinetic theory to construct computational models for the shallow water equations as well as the Navier-Stokes equations is summarized and illustrated. In addition, the usage of kinetic theory to formulate turbulence models is briefly described. Kinetic theory 1 recognizes that matter is made up of an enormous number of tiny units, called molecules and atoms, that bounce around and interact with one another and 2 provides the link between the gross properties of matter and the motion of its parts. The basic concepts of kinetic theory are quite familiar to the hydraulic engineer. Indeed, the basic concepts of kinetic theory are called upon whenever one explains macroscopic behavior in terms of molecular motion.