Fully developed thermocreep-driven gas microflow

In this study, we develop the mathematical model of thermocreep-driven gas flow in an unheated parallel-plate microchannel with discrepant temperatures at both ends. The fully developed solutions for flow and thermal fields as well as the corresponding characteristics are derived analytically and presented for air. Results reveal that the velocity and temperature distributions are uniform. This means that the local flow drag and the local heat transfer rate are zero and that the influence of fluid-wall interaction is negligible. In addition, the velocity slip induced by gas rarefaction is shown to increase the flow rate and the average heat transfer rate. Such effect can be magnified by the decreases of the channel width and the channel length.