Numerical Modelling of Laminar Flows in a Rectangular Microchannel
Authors: Ismail OS, Abu K
DOI Info: N/A
ABSTRACT
Numerical solution of laminar flow of water in a microchannel of rectangular cross-section of 10 mm by 10 mm is presented in this work for Reynolds number (Re) ranging from 10 to 300. The unsteady incompressible Navier-Stokes equations were discretised using the finite difference method, solved using the pressure-projection approach and then implemented with the code written with MATLAB. The code was validated with analytical and ANSYS Fluent solution of channel flow. Pressure was greatest at the inlet near corners of the microchannel, and continually reduced downstream. The velocity at a median vertical section along the flow channel varied parabolically, increasing from zero at the walls to the maximum value at the central axis of the channel. The Courant number evaluated for each case of Re was less than 1, ensuring the numerical stability of the code. The present work can thus be used to visualise velocity and pressure distribution in a microchannel.
Affiliations: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Technology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
Keywords: Laminar Flow, Microchannel, Navier-Stokes Equations, Reynolds Number, Numerical Stability
Published date: 2019/06/30
