Phenomenological energy exchange of diatomic gases: Comparison of Pullin and Borgnakke-Larsen models in direct simulation Monte Carlo method

Fuente: arXiv
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Jin, Hao, Liu, Sha, Ding, Ningchao, Yang, Sirui, Cui, Huahua, Zhuo, Congshan, Zhong, Chengwen
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2026
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866911430812368896
author Jin, Hao
Liu, Sha
Ding, Ningchao
Yang, Sirui
Cui, Huahua
Zhuo, Congshan
Zhong, Chengwen
author_facet Jin, Hao
Liu, Sha
Ding, Ningchao
Yang, Sirui
Cui, Huahua
Zhuo, Congshan
Zhong, Chengwen
contents In hypersonic rarefied flows, insufficient intermolecular collisions cause significant deviations between translational and rotational temperatures, leading to strong thermal nonequilibrium. For diatomic gases such as nitrogen and oxygen, the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method commonly employs the Borgnakke-Larsen (BL) model to simulate translational-rotational energy exchange (relaxation) processes. Although widely used, the BL model lacks a rigorous theoretical foundation and assumes that only a fraction of collisions lead to rotational relaxation. To address these shortcomings, Pullin introduced a kinetically consistent relaxation model into the gas kinetic theory. By employing the Beta function for energy partitioning, a concrete collision cross section that satisfies the detailed balance condition is constructed. In this study, a comparative investigation of the BL and Pullin models is performed within the DSMC framework, where both original and simplified equations are considered and parameterized by physical accommodated coefficient in the Beta function. A series of test cases--including zero-dimensional rotational relaxation of nitrogen, one-dimensional planar Couette flow and normal shock wave, two-dimensional hypersonic flow past a cylinder, and three-dimensional hypersonic flow around an X38-like vehicle--are performed to assess the accuracy and efficiency of these models. The results confirm the consistency between the Pullin and BL models. Owing to its rigorous theoretical foundation and accurate physical representation, the Pullin model is expected to provide substantial support for the extension of subsequent theoretical studies and numerical simulations. Moreover, in the highly rarefied flow regime (Knudsen number greater than 1, or altitudes above 100 km), the simplified Pullin model exhibits performance comparable to that of the BL model.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_07409
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Phenomenological energy exchange of diatomic gases: Comparison of Pullin and Borgnakke-Larsen models in direct simulation Monte Carlo method
Jin, Hao
Liu, Sha
Ding, Ningchao
Yang, Sirui
Cui, Huahua
Zhuo, Congshan
Zhong, Chengwen
Fluid Dynamics
Computational Physics
In hypersonic rarefied flows, insufficient intermolecular collisions cause significant deviations between translational and rotational temperatures, leading to strong thermal nonequilibrium. For diatomic gases such as nitrogen and oxygen, the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method commonly employs the Borgnakke-Larsen (BL) model to simulate translational-rotational energy exchange (relaxation) processes. Although widely used, the BL model lacks a rigorous theoretical foundation and assumes that only a fraction of collisions lead to rotational relaxation. To address these shortcomings, Pullin introduced a kinetically consistent relaxation model into the gas kinetic theory. By employing the Beta function for energy partitioning, a concrete collision cross section that satisfies the detailed balance condition is constructed. In this study, a comparative investigation of the BL and Pullin models is performed within the DSMC framework, where both original and simplified equations are considered and parameterized by physical accommodated coefficient in the Beta function. A series of test cases--including zero-dimensional rotational relaxation of nitrogen, one-dimensional planar Couette flow and normal shock wave, two-dimensional hypersonic flow past a cylinder, and three-dimensional hypersonic flow around an X38-like vehicle--are performed to assess the accuracy and efficiency of these models. The results confirm the consistency between the Pullin and BL models. Owing to its rigorous theoretical foundation and accurate physical representation, the Pullin model is expected to provide substantial support for the extension of subsequent theoretical studies and numerical simulations. Moreover, in the highly rarefied flow regime (Knudsen number greater than 1, or altitudes above 100 km), the simplified Pullin model exhibits performance comparable to that of the BL model.
title Phenomenological energy exchange of diatomic gases: Comparison of Pullin and Borgnakke-Larsen models in direct simulation Monte Carlo method
topic Fluid Dynamics
Computational Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.07409