Modeling Nonequilibrium Gas Flow Based on Moment Equations

This article discusses the development of continuum models to describe processes in gases in which the particle collisions cannot maintain thermal equilibrium. Such a situation typically is present in rarefied or diluted gases, for flows in microscopic settings, or in general whenever the Knudsen number—the ratio between the mean free path of the particles and a macroscopic length scale—becomes significant. The continuum models are based on the stochastic description of the gas by Boltzmann's equation in kinetic gas theory. With moment approximations, extended fluid dynamic equations can be derived, such as the regularized 13-moment equations. Moment equations are introduced in detail, and typical results are reviewed for channel flow, cavity flow, and flow past a sphere in the low–Mach number setting for which both evolution equations and boundary conditions are well established. Conversely, nonlinear, high-speed processes require special closures that are still under development. Current approaches are examined, along with the challenge of computing shock wave profiles based on continuum equations.