Rarefied gas flow through a long rectangular channel

The mass flow rate of a rarefied gas through a long channel with a rectangular cross section has been calculated based on the model kinetic equation for the whole range of the Knudsen number and in the wide range of the height-to-width ratio. First, the reduced flow rate through a cross section has been calculated as a function of the local rarefaction parameter assuming the pressure gradient to be small. A criterion of the lateral wall influence on the flow rate has been given. Then, the mass flow rate has been calculated as; a function of the rarefaction parameters on the channel ends. The last result is obtained for any pressure ratio even if the flow varies along the channel from the hydrodynamic regime to the free molecular one. (C) 1999 American Vacuum Society. [S0734-2101(99)02105-3].