Direct numerical test of the B-G-K model equation by the DSMC method

In the present paper the rarefied gas flow caused by the sudden change of the wall temperature and the Rayleigh problem are simulated by the DSMC method which has been validated by experiments both in global flow field and velocity distribution function level. The comparison of the simulated results with the accurate numerical solution of the B-G-K model equation shows that near equilibrium the B-G-K equation with corrected collision frequency can give accurate result but as farther away from equilibrium the B-G-K equation is not accurate. This is for the first time that the error caused by the B-G-K model equation has been revealed. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (19772059, 19889209)