Based on the Boltzmann-BGK (Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook) equation, in this paper a discrete unified gas kinetic scheme (DUGKS) is developed for low-speed isothermal flows. The DUGKS is a finite-volume scheme with the discretization of particle velocity space. After the introduction of two auxiliary distribution functions with the inclusion of collision effect, the DUGKS becomes a fully explicit scheme for the update of distribution function. Furthermore, the scheme is an asymptotic preserving method, where the time step is only determined by the Courant-Friedricks-Lewy condition in the continuum limit. Numerical results demonstrate that accurate solutions in both continuum and rarefied flow regimes can be obtained from the current DUGKS. The comparison between the DUGKS and the well-defined lattice Boltzmann equation method (D2Q9) is presented as well.

This paper is a continuation of our work on the development of multiscale numerical scheme from low-speed isothermal flow to compressible flows at high Mach numbers. In our earlier work [Z. L. Guo et al., Phys. Rev. E 88, 033305 (2013)], a discrete unified gas kinetic scheme (DUGKS) was developed for low-speed flows in which the Mach number is small so that the flow is nearly incompressible. In the current work, we extend the scheme to compressible flows with the inclusion of thermal effect and shock discontinuity based on the gas kinetic Shakhov model. This method is an explicit finite-volume scheme with the coupling of particle transport and collision in the flux evaluation at a cell interface. As a result, the time step of the method is not limited by the particle collision time. With the variation of the ratio between the time step and particle collision time, the scheme is an asymptotic preserving (AP) method, where both the Chapman-Enskog expansion for the Navier-Stokes solution in the continuum regime and the free transport mechanism in the rarefied limit can be precisely recovered with a second-order accuracy in both space and time. The DUGKS is an idealized multiscale method for all Knudsen number flow simulations. A number of numerical tests, including the shock structure problem, the Sod tube problem in a whole range of degree of rarefaction, and the two-dimensional Riemann problem in both continuum and rarefied regimes, are performed to validate the scheme. Comparisons with the results of direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) and other benchmark data demonstrate that the DUGKS is a reliable and efficient method for multiscale flow problems.

A Unified Gas-Kinetic Scheme for Continuum and Rarefied Flows II: Multi-Dimensional Cases - Volume 12 Issue 3 - Juan-Chen Huang, Kun Xu, Pubing Yu