Laminar flow of a non-Newtonian fluid in channels with wall suction or injection

Abstract

The one-dimensional approximate equation in the rectangular Cartesian coordinates governing flow of a non-Newtonian fluid confined in two large plates separated by a small distance of h, with the upper plate stationary while the lower plate is uniformly porous and moving in the x-direction with constant velocity, is derived by accounting for the order of magnitude of terms as well as the accompanying approximations to the full-blown three-dimensional equations by using scaling arguments, asymptotic techniques and assuming the cross-flow velocity is much less than the axial velocity. The one-dimensional governing equation for a power-law fluid flow confined between parallel plates, with the upper plate is stationary and the bottom plate subjected to sudden acceleration with a constant velocity in the x-direction and uniformly porous, is solved analytically for a Newtonian fluid case (n = 1) and numerically for various values of power-law index to determine the transient velocity and thus the overall transient velocity distribution. The effects of mass suction/injection at the porous bottom plate on the flow of non-Newtonian fluids are examined for various values of time and power-law index. The results obtained from the present analysis are compared with the data available in the literature. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.