The Flow of Power-Law Fluids in Axisymmetric Corrugated Tubes

TL;DR

This paper introduces an analytical approach to model laminar flow of power-law fluids in axisymmetric corrugated tubes, applicable to various geometries and useful for complex flow analysis.

Contribution

It provides a general analytical method for pressure-flow relationships in corrugated tubes for power-law fluids, adaptable to different geometries and complex scenarios.

Findings

Method successfully applied to five different geometries.

Analytical expressions derived for pressure drop and flow rate.

Framework supports numerical methods for complex cases.

Abstract

In this article we present an analytical method for deriving the relationship between the pressure drop and flow rate in laminar flow regimes, and apply it to the flow of power-law fluids through axially-symmetric corrugated tubes. The method, which is general with regards to fluid and tube shape within certain restrictions, can also be used as a foundation for numerical integration where analytical expressions are hard to obtain due to mathematical or practical complexities. Five converging-diverging geometries are used as examples to illustrate the application of this method.