Rarefied Gas Flows

Gas rarefaction is of critical importance for both high velocity gas flows around aircraft traveling at high altitudes and for low velocity flows at low gas pressures, such as those encountered in vacuum systems. Historically most academic research has been focused on aerospace applications, and consequently modeling software appropriate for such flows is readily available. Unfortunately the techniques usually employed to model the high velocity flows around aircraft are inappropriate for the modeling of low velocity flows, such as those typically encountered in vacuum systems, since the particle-based methods employed produce an unacceptable level of statistical noise at low velocities.

The Molecular Flow Module is designed to offer previously unavailable simulation capabilities for the accurate modeling of low pressure, low velocity gas flows. The module facilitates accurate simulations of molecular flows in complex geometries.