State-resolved analyses of N+N2 are performed using the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. In describing the elastic collisions in a state-resolved method, a statespecific total cross section is proposed. The state-resolved model is constructed from the state-specific total cross section and the state-to-state transition cross sections for boundbound and bound-free transitions taken f...

Hypersonic aerothermodynamics for a probe entering a planetary atmosphere is an important issue in space exploration. The probe experiences various Knudsen number regimes, ranging from rarefied to continuum, due to density variation in the planet’s atmosphere. To simulate such multiscale flows, a novel hybrid particle scheme is employed in the present work. The hybrid particle scheme employs th...

Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC)-the prevalent stochastic particle method for high-speed rarefied gas flows-simulates the Boltzmann equation using distributions of representative particles. Although very efficient in producing samples of the distribution function, the slow convergence associated with statistical sampling makes DSMC simulation of low-signal situations problematic. In this th...

Vibrational relaxation is an important physical process in hypersonic flows. Activation of the vibrational mode affects the fundamental thermodynamic properties and finite rate relaxation can reduce the degree of dissociation of a gas. Low fidelity models of vibrational activation employ a relaxation time to capture the process at a macroscopic level. High fidelity, state-resolved models have b...

Keywords: DSMC IP Molecular diffusion Time step Cell size a b s t r a c t The direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method is a powerful particle-based method for modeling gas flows. It works well for relatively large Knudsen (Kn) numbers, typically larger than 0.01, but quickly becomes computationally intensive as Kn decreases due to its time step and cell size limitations. An alternative appro...

Application of variable time-step and unstructured adaptive mesh refinement in parallel three-dimensional Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method is presented. A variable time-step method using the particle fluxes conservation (mass, momentum and energy) across the cell interface is implemented to reduce the number of simulated particles and the number of iterations of transient period towa...

Airflow over a flat plate at zero incidence is investigated as a function of the Reynolds number Re and the Mach number M under subsonic, low-Reynolds-number conditions. The flows are simulated using the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method and the information preservation (IP) method that is a modified DSMC method developed for low-speed rarefied gas flows. Good agreement is obtained be...

For simulating rarefied gas flows around a moving body, an immersed boundary method is presented here in conjunction with the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method in order to allow the movement of a three dimensional immersed body on top of a fixed background grid. The simulated DSMC particles are reflected exactly at the landing points on the surface of the moving immersed body, while t...