An introduction to the Boltzmann equation and transport processes in gases (Q482475)

From the Preface: ``This book deals with the classical kinetic theory of gases. Its aim is to present the basic principles of this theory within an elementary framework and from a more rigorous approach based on the Boltzmann equation. The subjects are presented in a self-contained manner such that the readers can understand and learn some methods used in the kinetic theory of gases in order to investigate the Boltzmann equation. In Chapter 1, a sketch on the evolution of the ideas of the kinetic theory is presented. Afterwards, the basic principles of an elementary kinetic theory are introduced, which are based on the concepts of mean free path, molecular mean velocity and mean free time. The Maxwellian distribution function is determined from statistical arguments, and the transport coefficients of shear viscosity, thermal conductivity and self-diffusion are obtained from the elementary theory. The most common interaction potentials used in the kinetic theory of gases are also introduced in this chapter, and the dynamics of a binary collision is analyzed. Chapter 2 is dedicated to the study of the Boltzmann equation. First, the Boltzmann equation is derived and the equations of the BBGKY hierarchy are determined. From the knowledge of the transfer equation -- which follows from the Boltzmann equation -- the macroscopic balance equations for the moments of the distribution function are derived. The equilibrium distribution function is determined from the Boltzmann equation and the equilibrium states of a rarefied gas are also analyzed. In this chapter, the \(\mathcal H\)-theorem and the paradoxes of Loschmidt and Zermelo are discussed. The chapter ends with an analysis of the different forms of the entropy which are used in statistical mechanics to describe the canonical and microcanonical ensembles. The Chapman-Enskog method is the subject of Chapter 3. First, a phenomenological theory based on the thermodynamic theory of irreversible processes is used to determine the laws of Navier-Stokes and Fourier of a single fluid. Afterwards, a simplified version of the Chapman-Enskog method is developed in order to derive these laws and to determine the transport coefficients of shear viscosity and thermal conductivity of a monatomic gas. A more formal version of the method and the so-called BGK model of the Boltzmann equation are also presented in this chapter. In Chapter 4, the moment methods are analyzed, which consist of the Grad's method, Maxwell and Ikenberry-Truesdell method and the Chapman-Enskog-Grad combined method. The Boltzmann equation in non-inertial frames of reference and the frame dependence of the heat flux vector are also discussed in that chapter. Polyatomic gases are studied in Chapter 5 within the framework of a semiclassical model and of a classical model. The case of a polyatomic gas of rough spherical molecules is also discussed and the transport coefficients for this simple classical model are determined. Chapter 6 is devoted to the analysis of moderately dense gases. First, the van der Waals equation of state is derived from the virial theorem and afterwards the Enskog equation for moderately dense gases is presented. From the knowledge of the distribution, the coefficients of shear and bulk viscosity and thermal conductivity are determined for a moderately dense gas. This chapter ends with a discussion on the modified Enskog equation. Granular gases are examined in Chapter 7 where the cooling rate and the corrections to the transport coefficients due to inelastic collisions are determined. A sketch on the theory of granular gases of rough spherical molecules is also presented in this chapter. In Chapter 8, mixtures of monatomic gases are analyzed. The Navier-Stokes, Fourier and Fick laws are determined from the knowledge of the distribution functions of the constituents, and the transport coefficients are obtained for mixtures of arbitrary number of constituents. The case of a binary mixture is likewise discussed in this chapter. The last chapter is dedicated to the study of chemically reacting gas mixtures. It begins with a thermodynamic description of chemically reacting systems and the determination of the Boltzmann equations which take into account the bimolecular reactions of the type \(A_1+A_2\rightleftharpoons A_3+A_4\). The \(\mathcal H\)-theorem is analyzed, and for the chemical reaction \(H_2+Cl\rightleftharpoons HCl+H\), the transport coefficients are determined and the trend to equilibrium is discussed. Symmetric reactions of the type \(A+A\rightleftharpoons B+B\) are also studied in that chapter and the influence of the heat reaction on slow reactions is determined. Furthermore, the symmetric reaction which proceeds without a barrier and the influence of the molecular geometry on chemically reacting systems are, in addition, discussed. In almost all sections of the book exercises are proposed directly related with the text.'' The present textbook is intended for students and researchers who are interested in the foundations of the Boltzmann equation and in the classical methods used in the kinetic theory of gases.