A particle–particle hybrid method for kinetic and continuum equations

We present a coupling procedure for two different types of particle methods for the Boltzmann and the Navier–Stokes equations. A variant of the DSMC method is applied to simulate the Boltzmann equation, whereas a meshfree Lagrangian particle method, similar to the SPH method, is used for simulations of the Navier–Stokes equations. An automatic domain decomposition approach is used with the help of a continuum breakdown criterion. We apply adaptive spatial and time meshes. The classical Sod’s 1D shock tube problem is solved for a large range of Knudsen numbers. Results from Boltzmann, Navier–Stokes and hybrid solvers are compared. The CPU time for the hybrid solver is 3–4 times faster than for the Boltzmann solver.