Numerical Simulations of Rarefied Gases in Curved Channels: Thermal Creep, Circulating Flow, and Pumping Effect

Numerical Simulations of Rarefied Gases in Curved Channels: Thermal Creep, Circulating Flow, and Pumping Effect

Year:    2009

Communications in Computational Physics, Vol. 6 (2009), Iss. 5 : pp. 919–954

Abstract

We present numerical simulations of a new system of micro-pump based on the thermal creep effect described by the kinetic theory of gases. This device is made of a simple smooth and curved channel with a periodic temperature distribution. Using the Boltzmann-BGK model as the governing equation for the gas flow, we develop a numerical method based on a deterministic finite volume scheme, implicit in time, with an implicit treatment of the boundary conditions. This method is comparatively less sensitive to the slow flow velocity than the usual Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method in case of long devices, and turns out to be accurate enough to compute macroscopic quantities like the pressure field in the channel. Our simulations show the ability of the device to produce a one-way flow that has a pumping effect.

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Journal Article Details

Publisher Name:    Global Science Press

Language:    English

DOI:    https://doi.org/2009-CiCP-7712

Communications in Computational Physics, Vol. 6 (2009), Iss. 5 : pp. 919–954

Published online:    2009-01

AMS Subject Headings:    Global Science Press

Copyright:    COPYRIGHT: © Global Science Press

Pages:    36

Keywords: