A topology optimization method in rarefied gas flow problems using the Boltzmann equation

This paper presents a topology optimization method in rarefied gas flow problems to obtain the optimal structure of a flow channel as a configuration of gas and solid domains. In this paper, the kinetic equation, the governing equation of rarefied gas flows, is extended over the entire design domain including solid domains assuming the solid as an imaginary gas for implicitly handling the gas-solid interfaces in the optimization process. Based on the extended equation, a 2D flow channel design problem is formulated, and the design sensitivity is obtained based on the Lagrange multiplier method and adjoint variable method. Both the rarefied gas flow and the adjoint flow are computed by a deterministic method based on a finite discretization of the molecular velocity space, rather than the DSMC method. The validity and effectiveness of our proposed method are confirmed through several numerical examples. •We constructed a topology optimization method for rarefied gas flow problems.•The BGK equation was extended over the domain composed of gas and solid.•The sensitivity analysis was performed based on the adjoint variable method.•Numerical examples showed the validity and usefulness of our proposed method.