The main objective of this thesis is to study the fundamental behaviour of multi-component gas mixture flows in micro/nano-channels undergoing catalytic chemical reactions on the walls. This work is primarily focused on nano-scale reacting flows seen in related applications; especially, miniaturized energy sources such as micro-fuel cells and batteries. At these geometries, the order of the characteristic length is close to the mean free path of the flowing gas, making the flow highly rarefied. As a result, non-equilibrium conditions prevail even the bulk flow and therefore, continuum assumptions are not held anymore. Hence, discrete methods should be adopted to simulate molecular movements and interactions described by the Boltzmann equation. The Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method was employed for the present research due to its natural ability for simulating a broad range of rarefied gas flows, and its flexibility to incorporate surface chemical reactions. In the first step, fluid dynamics and the heat transfer of H₂/N₂ and H₂/N₂/CO₂ gas mixture slip flows in a plain micro-channel are simulated. The obtained results are compared to the corresponding data achieved from Navier-Stokes equations with slip/jump boundary conditions. Generally, very good agreements are observed between the two methods. It proves the ability of DSMC in replicating the fluid properties of multi-component gas mixtures even when high mass discrepancies exist among the species. Based on this comparison, the proper parameters are set for the prepared DSMC code, and the appropriate intermolecular collision model is identified. It is also found that stream variables should be calculated more accurately at flow boundaries in order to simulate the intense upstream diffusion emerging at low velocity flows frequently seen in micro/nano-applications. Therefore, in the second step, a novel pressure boundary condition is introduced for gas mixture flows by substituting the commonly used Maxwell velocity distribution with the Chapman-Enskog distribution function. It is shown that this new method yields better results for lower velocity and higher rarefaction level cases. In the last step, a new method is proposed for coupling the flow field simulated by DSMC and surface reactions modelled by the species conservation ODE system derived from the reaction mechanism. First, a lean H₂/air slip flow subjected to oxidation on platinum coated walls in a flat micro-channel 4μm in height is simulated as a verification test case. The results obtained are validated against the solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations with slip/jump boundary conditions and very good conformity is achieved. Next, several cases undergoing the same reaction with Reynolds numbers ranging from 0.2 to 3.6 and Knudsen numbers ranging from 0.025 to 0.375, are simulated using the verified code to investigate the effects of the channel height ranging from 0.5μm to 2μm , the inlet mass flow rate ranging from 5 kg/m².s to 25 kg/m².s, the inlet temperature ranging from 300K to 700K, the wall temperature ranging from 300K to 1000K, and the fuel/air equivalence ratio ranging from 0.28 to 1.5. Some of the findings are as follows: (1) increasing the surface temperature from 600K to 1000K and/or the inlet temperature from 300K to 700K results in negligible enhancement of the conversion rate, (2) the optimum value of the equivalence ratio is on the fuel lean side (around 0.5), (3) the efficiency of the reactor is higher for smaller channel heights, and (4) increasing the inlet mass flux elevates the reaction rate especially for the smaller channels; this effect is not linear and is more magnified for lower mass fluxes.

Capacitance manometer with sensors maintained at temperatures above the temperature of the vacuum vessel may read a higher gas pressure than the true value. This arises due to a transport process of molecules induced by molecule-surface collisions called thermal transpiration effect. Thermal transpiration effect depends on the pressure, the temperature gradient, gas, geometry and surface properties of the interconnecting pipe between the capacitance manometer and the vacuum vessel. To determine the height of the thermal transpiration effect for the biomolecular gas tetrahydrofuran, an experimental setup has been built. Its suitability to measure the thermal transpiration effect has been tested. Measurements of thermal transpiration effects for nitrogen and tetrahydrofuran have been analyzed with the semi-empirical Takaishi-Sensui equation. The coefficients of the Takaishi-Sensui equation can be used to determine the magnitude of the thermal transpiration effect for different temperature gradients, diameters of the interconnecting pipe and pressures.

Neste trabalho, é estudada a descrição do fluxo de um gás rarefeito em um duto cilíndrico de comprimento infinito. A formulação matemática do problema está baseada na forma integral de equações cinéticas derivadas da Equação de Boltzmann. Particularmente são estudados os modelos cinéticos conhecidos como BGK e S. Métodos espectrais são propostos para obtenção de soluções, em forma fechada, para quantidades de interesse como o perfil de velocidade do gás, bem como taxas de fluxo. As formulações espectrais são baseadas em duas abordagens: expansão clássica em termos de Polinômios de Legendre e expansão em termos de splines cúbicas de Hermite, neste caso, associada a um esquema de colocação. A implementação das propostas produz resultados computacionais satisfatórios do ponto de vista prático. Para obtenção de resultados com maior precisão, técnicas de tratamento da singularidade do núcleo da equação integral foram introduzidas, resultando em ganho computacional significativo. Finalmente, a proposta de solução espectral para problemas em geometria cilíndrica se mostrou adequada para problemas em que se admite reflexão especular na superfície do cilindro, situação onde outras abordagens clássicas disponíveis na literatura não podem ser utilizadas. / In this work, rarefied gas flows in cylindrical ducts are studied. The mathematical formulation of the problems are based on the integral form of kinetic equations derived from the Boltzmann equation. Particularly, the BGK and S models are studied. Spectral methods are proposed to obtain closed form solutions for quantities of interest as velocity profile of the gas as well as flow rates. The spectral formulations are based on two approaches: classical expansions in terms of Legendre Polynomials and Hermite cubic splines expansions. In this case, associated with a collocation scheme. The approaches provide good computational results, from the practical point of view. On the other hand, for obtaining higher accuracy, some techniques were introduced to deal with the inherent singularity of the integral kernel. In this context, a significant computational gain is achieved. Finally, this spectral approach has shown to be adequate to solve problems where specular reflection is assumed at the surface, in which cases, classical approaches available in the literature can not be used.

Neste trabalho, o fenômeno de evaporação em gases rarefeitos e analisado, para o caso de uma espécie de gás bem como de misturas binárias. Evaporação fraca e forte são consideradas para escoamentos de gases em canal e semi-espaco. Também e investigado o fenômeno conhecido como reverso de temperatura, típico de gases em estado de rarefação. O método ADO, uma versão analítica do método de ordenadas discretas, é utilizado para construção de soluções em forma fechada para os diversos problemas e quantidades de interesse, como perfis de temperatura e fluxos de calor. Para o caso de um gás, uma solução unificada e desenvolvida para problemas formulados a partir dos modelos cinéticos, derivados da equação de Boltzmann, BGK, S, Gross- Jackson e MRS. No caso de mistura binária de gases, a formulação matemática e baseada no modelo McCormack. Particularmente, quando a evaporação forte e abordada, e aspectos não lineares devem ser incluídos, a versão não linear do modelo BGK e utilizada. Neste caso, a solução ADO do modelo linear e utilizada em um processo chamado de pós-processamento para inclusão dos termos não lineares do problema e reavaliação das quantidades de interesse, evidenciando melhoria dos resultados obtidos pela formulação linear. Uma serie de resultados numéricos são listados e é observada, de forma geral, excelente exatidão e eficiência computacional. / In this work, evaporation phenomena in rarefied gas flow, for one gas case and binary mixtures, are analyzed. Weak and strong evaporation are considered in channel and half-space problems. The reverse of temperature problem, typical in rarefied gas dynamics, is also investigated. The ADO method, an analytical version of the discrete ordinates method, is used to develop closed form solutions, to several problems and quantities of interest, as temperature profiles and heat flows. For the one gas case, an unified solution is developed for the BGK, S, Gross-Jackson and MRS models, derived from the Boltzmann equation. For binary mixtures, the mathematical formulation is based on the McCormack model. Particularly, when strong evaporation is investigated, and nonlinear aspects have to be included, the nonlinear BGK model is used. In this case, the ADO solution, provided by the linear model, is considered in a post-processing procedure which takes into account the nonlinear terms to evaluate the quantities of interest, and improved results are obtained, in comparison with the linear version. A series of numerical results are listed and, in general, an excellent accuracy and good computational efficiency are observed.

Neste trabalho, é estudada a descrição do fluxo de um gás rarefeito em um duto cilíndrico de comprimento infinito. A formulação matemática do problema está baseada na forma integral de equações cinéticas derivadas da Equação de Boltzmann. Particularmente são estudados os modelos cinéticos conhecidos como BGK e S. Métodos espectrais são propostos para obtenção de soluções, em forma fechada, para quantidades de interesse como o perfil de velocidade do gás, bem como taxas de fluxo. As formulações espectrais são baseadas em duas abordagens: expansão clássica em termos de Polinômios de Legendre e expansão em termos de splines cúbicas de Hermite, neste caso, associada a um esquema de colocação. A implementação das propostas produz resultados computacionais satisfatórios do ponto de vista prático. Para obtenção de resultados com maior precisão, técnicas de tratamento da singularidade do núcleo da equação integral foram introduzidas, resultando em ganho computacional significativo. Finalmente, a proposta de solução espectral para problemas em geometria cilíndrica se mostrou adequada para problemas em que se admite reflexão especular na superfície do cilindro, situação onde outras abordagens clássicas disponíveis na literatura não podem ser utilizadas. / In this work, rarefied gas flows in cylindrical ducts are studied. The mathematical formulation of the problems are based on the integral form of kinetic equations derived from the Boltzmann equation. Particularly, the BGK and S models are studied. Spectral methods are proposed to obtain closed form solutions for quantities of interest as velocity profile of the gas as well as flow rates. The spectral formulations are based on two approaches: classical expansions in terms of Legendre Polynomials and Hermite cubic splines expansions. In this case, associated with a collocation scheme. The approaches provide good computational results, from the practical point of view. On the other hand, for obtaining higher accuracy, some techniques were introduced to deal with the inherent singularity of the integral kernel. In this context, a significant computational gain is achieved. Finally, this spectral approach has shown to be adequate to solve problems where specular reflection is assumed at the surface, in which cases, classical approaches available in the literature can not be used.

Neste trabalho, o fenômeno de evaporação em gases rarefeitos e analisado, para o caso de uma espécie de gás bem como de misturas binárias. Evaporação fraca e forte são consideradas para escoamentos de gases em canal e semi-espaco. Também e investigado o fenômeno conhecido como reverso de temperatura, típico de gases em estado de rarefação. O método ADO, uma versão analítica do método de ordenadas discretas, é utilizado para construção de soluções em forma fechada para os diversos problemas e quantidades de interesse, como perfis de temperatura e fluxos de calor. Para o caso de um gás, uma solução unificada e desenvolvida para problemas formulados a partir dos modelos cinéticos, derivados da equação de Boltzmann, BGK, S, Gross- Jackson e MRS. No caso de mistura binária de gases, a formulação matemática e baseada no modelo McCormack. Particularmente, quando a evaporação forte e abordada, e aspectos não lineares devem ser incluídos, a versão não linear do modelo BGK e utilizada. Neste caso, a solução ADO do modelo linear e utilizada em um processo chamado de pós-processamento para inclusão dos termos não lineares do problema e reavaliação das quantidades de interesse, evidenciando melhoria dos resultados obtidos pela formulação linear. Uma serie de resultados numéricos são listados e é observada, de forma geral, excelente exatidão e eficiência computacional. / In this work, evaporation phenomena in rarefied gas flow, for one gas case and binary mixtures, are analyzed. Weak and strong evaporation are considered in channel and half-space problems. The reverse of temperature problem, typical in rarefied gas dynamics, is also investigated. The ADO method, an analytical version of the discrete ordinates method, is used to develop closed form solutions, to several problems and quantities of interest, as temperature profiles and heat flows. For the one gas case, an unified solution is developed for the BGK, S, Gross-Jackson and MRS models, derived from the Boltzmann equation. For binary mixtures, the mathematical formulation is based on the McCormack model. Particularly, when strong evaporation is investigated, and nonlinear aspects have to be included, the nonlinear BGK model is used. In this case, the ADO solution, provided by the linear model, is considered in a post-processing procedure which takes into account the nonlinear terms to evaluate the quantities of interest, and improved results are obtained, in comparison with the linear version. A series of numerical results are listed and, in general, an excellent accuracy and good computational efficiency are observed.

Neste trabalho, é estudada a descrição do fluxo de um gás rarefeito em um duto cilíndrico de comprimento infinito. A formulação matemática do problema está baseada na forma integral de equações cinéticas derivadas da Equação de Boltzmann. Particularmente são estudados os modelos cinéticos conhecidos como BGK e S. Métodos espectrais são propostos para obtenção de soluções, em forma fechada, para quantidades de interesse como o perfil de velocidade do gás, bem como taxas de fluxo. As formulações espectrais são baseadas em duas abordagens: expansão clássica em termos de Polinômios de Legendre e expansão em termos de splines cúbicas de Hermite, neste caso, associada a um esquema de colocação. A implementação das propostas produz resultados computacionais satisfatórios do ponto de vista prático. Para obtenção de resultados com maior precisão, técnicas de tratamento da singularidade do núcleo da equação integral foram introduzidas, resultando em ganho computacional significativo. Finalmente, a proposta de solução espectral para problemas em geometria cilíndrica se mostrou adequada para problemas em que se admite reflexão especular na superfície do cilindro, situação onde outras abordagens clássicas disponíveis na literatura não podem ser utilizadas. / In this work, rarefied gas flows in cylindrical ducts are studied. The mathematical formulation of the problems are based on the integral form of kinetic equations derived from the Boltzmann equation. Particularly, the BGK and S models are studied. Spectral methods are proposed to obtain closed form solutions for quantities of interest as velocity profile of the gas as well as flow rates. The spectral formulations are based on two approaches: classical expansions in terms of Legendre Polynomials and Hermite cubic splines expansions. In this case, associated with a collocation scheme. The approaches provide good computational results, from the practical point of view. On the other hand, for obtaining higher accuracy, some techniques were introduced to deal with the inherent singularity of the integral kernel. In this context, a significant computational gain is achieved. Finally, this spectral approach has shown to be adequate to solve problems where specular reflection is assumed at the surface, in which cases, classical approaches available in the literature can not be used.

Neste trabalho, o fenômeno de evaporação em gases rarefeitos e analisado, para o caso de uma espécie de gás bem como de misturas binárias. Evaporação fraca e forte são consideradas para escoamentos de gases em canal e semi-espaco. Também e investigado o fenômeno conhecido como reverso de temperatura, típico de gases em estado de rarefação. O método ADO, uma versão analítica do método de ordenadas discretas, é utilizado para construção de soluções em forma fechada para os diversos problemas e quantidades de interesse, como perfis de temperatura e fluxos de calor. Para o caso de um gás, uma solução unificada e desenvolvida para problemas formulados a partir dos modelos cinéticos, derivados da equação de Boltzmann, BGK, S, Gross- Jackson e MRS. No caso de mistura binária de gases, a formulação matemática e baseada no modelo McCormack. Particularmente, quando a evaporação forte e abordada, e aspectos não lineares devem ser incluídos, a versão não linear do modelo BGK e utilizada. Neste caso, a solução ADO do modelo linear e utilizada em um processo chamado de pós-processamento para inclusão dos termos não lineares do problema e reavaliação das quantidades de interesse, evidenciando melhoria dos resultados obtidos pela formulação linear. Uma serie de resultados numéricos são listados e é observada, de forma geral, excelente exatidão e eficiência computacional. / In this work, evaporation phenomena in rarefied gas flow, for one gas case and binary mixtures, are analyzed. Weak and strong evaporation are considered in channel and half-space problems. The reverse of temperature problem, typical in rarefied gas dynamics, is also investigated. The ADO method, an analytical version of the discrete ordinates method, is used to develop closed form solutions, to several problems and quantities of interest, as temperature profiles and heat flows. For the one gas case, an unified solution is developed for the BGK, S, Gross-Jackson and MRS models, derived from the Boltzmann equation. For binary mixtures, the mathematical formulation is based on the McCormack model. Particularly, when strong evaporation is investigated, and nonlinear aspects have to be included, the nonlinear BGK model is used. In this case, the ADO solution, provided by the linear model, is considered in a post-processing procedure which takes into account the nonlinear terms to evaluate the quantities of interest, and improved results are obtained, in comparison with the linear version. A series of numerical results are listed and, in general, an excellent accuracy and good computational efficiency are observed.

Ce manuscrit présente l'étude et l'analyse d'écoulements de gaz raréfiés, induits par la transpiration thermique. Le terme de transpiration thermique désigne le mouvement macroscopique d'un gaz raréfié engendré par l'effet du seul gradient de température. L'aspect principal de ce travail est centré autour de la mesure du débit stationnaire déclenché en soumettant un micro tube à un gradient de température appliqué le long de son axe. On a développé à cet effet un appareillage expérimental original ainsi qu'une méthodologie expérimentale innovatrice basée sur la dépendance du phénomène, analysé dans son ensemble, à l'égard du temps. Les résultats obtenus pour le débit stationnaire initial de transpiration thermique et pour les paramètres thermo-moléculaires caractérisant l'équilibre final de débit nul, ont été comparés aux résultats obtenus numériquement par la résolution de l'équation cinétique modèle de Shakhov et par la méthode de simulation directe de Monte-Carlo. / This thesis presents the study and analysis of rarefied gas flows induced by thermal transpiration. Thermal transpiration refers to the macroscopic movement of rarefied gas generated by a temperature gradient. The main aspect of this work is centered around the measurement of the mass flow rate engendered by subjecting a micro-tube to a temperature gradient along its axis. In this respect, an original experimental apparatus and an original time-dependent experimental methodology was developed. The experimental results for the initial stationary thermal transpiration mass flow rate and for the final zero- flow thermal molecular parameters were compared with the results obtained from the numerical solution of the Shakhov model kinetic equation and the direct simulation Monte Carlo method.

Cette thèse est consacrée à l'étude des écoulements de gaz raréfiés à travers divers micro-conduits de type circulaire et rectangulaire dans des conditions isotherme et stationnaire. L'objectif de la thèse est de contribuer à l'étude de l'interaction gaz-surface notamment en déterminant le coefficient d'accommodation de la quantité de mouvement pour différent matériaux de surface (Or, Silice, Acier inoxydable et Sulfinert) associés à différents types de gaz (hélium, azote, argon et dioxyde-de-carbone). Afin d'atteindre cet objectif, on adopte un triple point de vue : expérimental, théorique et numérique. L'aspect expérimental est réalisé par des mesures de débit massique à travers les micro-conduits, en utilisant la méthode dite « à volume constant ». L'aspect théorique original est développé à travers une nouvelle approche basée sur la résolution de l'équation de Stokes. Cette approche a permis d'écrire une expression analytique de débit massique en régime de glissement, qui prenne en compte les effets bidimensionnels dans une section de conduit rectangulaire. Cette approche complètement explicite, est conduite au deuxième ordre. Enfin l'aspect numérique permet de calculer le débit massique, en régimes transitionnel et moléculaire libre, en résolvant numériquement l'équation cinétique BGK linéarisée. La comparaison des mesures de débit massique avec l'équation analytique, en régime de glissement, ou avec les calculs numériques, en régimes transitionnel et moléculaire libre, nous a permis de déduire des coefficients de glissement et les coefficients d'accommodation correspondant à chaque couple gaz-surface dans tous les régimes de raréfaction. / This thesis is devoted to the study of rarefied gas flows through micro-channels of various cross sections (circular and rectangular) under isothermal and stationary conditions. The objective of this thesis is to contribute to the study of gas-surface interaction by determining the tangential momentum accommodation coefficient for different surface materials (gold, silica, stainless steel and Sulfinert) and associated to various gases (helium, nitrogen, argon and carbon-dioxide). To achieve this goal three aspects are considered: experimental, theoretical and numerical. The experimental aspect is considered by measuring the mass flow rate through microchannels using the constant volume technique. The theoretical aspect is considered by the development of a new approach based on the Stokes equations. This approach yields to the analytical expression of the mass flow rate in the slip regime, which takes into account the second order effects. The last aspect, numerical, is considered by the numerical simulations of the mass flow rate in the transitional and free molecular flow regimes by solving the linearized BGK kinetic model. The comparison between the measured mass flow rates and the analytically expressions in the slip regime or with the results of numerical simulations in the transitional and free molecular regimes enabled to deduce the tangential momentum accommodation coefficients corresponding to each pair gas-surface in all flow regimes.