Generalized Couette flow in channels of irregular cross‐section

Abstract

The flow behavior of non‐Newtonian power‐law fluids in channels of irregular cross‐section is examined. The driving force of the flow may be a constant pressure gradient (Poiseuille flow), a moving boundary (Couette flow) or the combination of the two (generalized Couette flow). There are three factors that influence the fluid motion in a channel, namely, the power‐law index n, the channel geometry and a dimensionless quantity E which can be viewed as the ratio of drag flow to pressure flow. The effects of these variables on velocity distributions and volumetric flow rates for various channel geometries are analyzed. The direct application of the numerical results on extruder design and operation is discussed.