DATA ON INTERNAL RAREFIED-GAS FLOWS

The present review, containing 178 references, is dedicated to one.of the largest and most important branches of the rarefied gas dynamics, namely internal flows. A critical analysis of the corresponding numeri cal data and analytical results available in the literature was made. The most reliable data were selected and tabulated. The review will be useful as a reference for mathematicians, physicists and aerodynamici sts interested in rarefied gas flows. In this paper the complete range s of the main parameters, determining rarefied gas flows through a cap illary, are covered. The capillary length varies from zero, when the c apillary degenerates into a thin orifice, to infinity when the end eff ects can be neglected. The Knudsen number, characterizing;the gas rare faction, varies from zero when the gas is considered as a continuous m edium to infinity when the intermolecular collisions can be discounted . The pressure and temperature drops on the capillary ends vary from t he small values when the Linear theory is valid to the large values wh en the nonlinear equations must be applied. The influence of the gas-s urface interaction is considered. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physi cs and American Chemical Society.