A finite-difference lattice Boltzmann approach for gas microflows

Finite-difference Lattice Boltzmann (LB) models are proposed for simulating gas flows in devices with microscale geometries. The models employ the roots of half-range Gauss-Hermite polynomials as discrete velocities. Unlike the standard LB velocity-space discretizations based on the roots of full-range Hermite polynomials, using the nodes of a quadrature defined in the half-space permits a consistent treatment of kinetic boundary conditions. The possibilities of the proposed LB models are illustrated by studying the one-dimensional Couette flow and the two-dimensional driven cavity flow. Numerical and analytical results show an improved accuracy in finite Knudsen flows as compared with standard LB models.