A novel hybrid computational method based on the discrete-velocity (DV) approximation, including the lattice-Boltzmann (LB) technique, is proposed. Numerical schemes for the kinetic equations are used in regions of rarefied flows, and LB schemes are employed in continuum flow zones. The schemes are written under the finite-volume (FV) formulation to achieve the flexibility of local mesh refinement. The truncated Hermite polynomial expansion is used for matching of DV and LB solutions. Special attention is paid to preserving conservation properties in the coupling algorithm. The test results obtained for the Couette flow of a rarefied gas are in excellent agreement with the benchmark solutions, mostly thanks to mesh refinement (both in the physical and velocity spaces) in the Knudsen layer.
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