Free Molecule Flow
From ExoDictionary
Free Molecule Flow
- A flow regime in aerodynamics in which molecules emitted from an object, as it passes through a resistive medium, do not affect the flow of oncoming molecules by scattering interactions, i.e., the mean free path of the emitted molecules in much longer than a characteristic linear dimension of an object.
- Flow about a body in which the number of collisions between the molecules of the fluid is negligible compared with the collisions between these molecules and the body. Also called free molecular flow. See rarefied gas dynamics, note.
References
This article is based on NASA's Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use
