Numerical and theoretical analysis of model equations for multicomponent rarefied gas

Model equations approximating the system of Boltzmann equations for a multicomponent gas are investigated. Methods for determining parameters in relaxation terms corresponding to cross-collision integrals are analyzed. Numerical solutions based on three model systems and the Boltzmann equations are compared as applied to the following problems: relaxation of a mixture to equilibrium, shock wave structure, and the dynamics of a vapor-gas cloud generated by pulsed laser irradiation of a target. It is shown that the parameters in the relaxation operators influence the degree of difference in the solutions produced by the various models.