Non-Newtonian Flow Around a Cylinder Array
Analysis Characteristics
- Steady-state
- 2D internal flow
- Laminar
- Incompressible
- Non-Newtonian
Reference
Georgiou,G., Momani,S., Crochet,M.J., Walters, K., “Newtonian and non-Newtonian flow in a channel obstructed by an antisymmetric array of cylinders”, Jour. of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics, 40, (1991), pp. 231-260.
Problem Description
The geometry is a channel with a rectangular cross-section with seven cylinders in a non-symmetric array. A Newtonian and a non-Newtonian fluid were tested. The non-Newtonian fluid is a 2% aqueous solution of polyacrylamide which is considered to be highly elastic shear-thinning.
The pressure drop across the channel calculated by Autodesk® CFD was compared to measured data.
Geometry and Boundary Conditions
Where A = 2.3 cm., B = 1.25 cm., C = 3.375 cm., D = 0.35 cm., L = 32.6 cm., W = 2.5 cm.
The volume flow rate is 12.0 cm3/sec.
Results
The pressure drop (Pa) across the channel is compared:
Benchmark  (Pa) | 2018: Build 20170308 | % Error | 2019: Build 20180130 | % Error | |
| Newtonian | |||||
 = 30 cc/s | 4200 | 4602.62 | 9.59 | 4601.36 | 9.56 |
| Non-Newtonian | |||||
| = 30 cc/s | 3400 | 3552.48 | 4.48 | 3552.16 | 4.48 |