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Behaviour of rarefied gas flow near the junction of a suddenly expanding tube

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2013

Vijay Varade ,
Amit Agrawal  and
A. M. Pradeep
Vijay Varade
Affiliation:
Centre for Research in Nanotechnology and Science, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India
Amit Agrawal*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India
A. M. Pradeep
Affiliation:
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India
*
†Email address for correspondence: amit.agrawal@iitb.ac.in
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Abstract

This paper presents an experimental study of isothermal rarefied gas flow through a tube with sudden expansion in the slip flow regime. The measurements reported here are for nitrogen flowing at low pressures in conventional tubes with sudden expansion area ratios of 1.48, 3.74, 12.43 and 64. The flow is dynamically similar to gas flow in a microchannel as the Knudsen number $(0. 0001\lt \mathit{Kn}\lt 0. 075)$ falls in the slip flow regime; the Reynolds number in the smaller section (${\mathit{Re}}_{s} $) ranges between 0.2 and 837. The static pressure along the wall is measured for different mass flow rates controlled by a mass flow controller and analysed to understand the flow behaviour. The velocity profiles are obtained through a momentum balance and using the pressure measurements. A discontinuity in the slope of pressure at the sudden expansion junction is noted and given special attention. The absence of flow separation is another key feature observed from the measurements. The streamlines are found to be concave near the junction. It is demonstrated that the flow ‘senses’ the oncoming sudden expansion junction and starts adjusting itself much before reaching the junction; this interesting behaviour is attributed to an increased axial momentum diffusion and wall slip. The additional acceleration of the central core of the gas flow causes an increase in the wall shear stress and a larger pressure drop as compared with a straight tube. These results are not previously available and should help in improving understanding of gaseous slip flows.

JFM classification

Micro-/Nano-fluid dynamics: Micro-/Nano-fluid dynamics Micro-/Nano-fluid dynamics: Non-continuum effects Rarefied Gas Flow: Rarefied Gas Flow
Type
Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 739 , 25 January 2014 , pp. 363 - 391
Copyright
©2013 Cambridge University Press 

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