Rarefaction effects in thermally-driven microflows

Rarefied gas flow in a parallel-plate micro-channel is considered, where a streamwise constant temperature gradient is applied in the channel walls. An analytical approach to the problem is conducted based on linearized and semi-linearized forms of the regularized 13-moment equations (R13 equations), which are a set of macroscopic transport equations for rarefied gases at the super-Burnett order. Typical nonequilibrium effects at the boundary, i.e., velocity slip, temperature jump, and formation of Knudsen boundary layers are investigated. Nonlinear contributions lead to temperature, density, and normal stress profiles across the channel which are not reported elsewhere in literature.