A numerical analysis of the source expansion flow into a vacuum is presented. Applying the BGK kinetic equation described in spherical coordinates to the problem, it is solved by combining a proposed computational technique with a discrete ordinate method. The actual computation is carried out for a large variety of rarefaction conditions, covering a wide extent from an equilibrium region near the sonic radius up to one sufficiently far downstream. Calculated results for the radial and perpendicular temperatures are compared with results obtained by existing methods.

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