Numerical Study of Laminar Fully Developed Non-Newtonian Liquid Flow in Rough Circular Microchannel

The present study aims to unveil the characteristics of fully developed laminar, incompressible, pressure driven non-Newtonian liquid flow in rough circular microchannels. In the present analysis Gaussian isotropic roughness distribution in circular microchannel is considered. The effect of varying surface wall roughness and flow behavior index has been studied numerically for both the pseudo plastic and dilatant fluids. It is found out that while increasing the relative roughness for a particular flow behavior index, the frictional resistance to flow in the microchannel increases and the effect is more pronounced in the case of pseudo plastic fluids. In the case of a pseudo plastic liquid flow for a constant relative surface wall roughness, on decreasing the value of flow behavior index below 1, the frictional resistance to the flow in the channel increases. While in the case of dilatant fluids with increasing the value of flow behavior index from 1 and above for a constant relative surface wall roughness the frictional resistance to the flow in the channel decreases.