Pressure Driven Slip Flows

In this section we will investigate pressure driven channel flows, and we will compare our results with some existing micro-flow experiments. In the pressure-driven micro-flow experiments of UPenn, UCLA and MIT drag reduction is observed. In other words for given inlet to exit pressure ratio, the measured mass-flow rate was significantly higher than the predictions of the continuum models. Variation of experimental mass flow rate non-dimesionalized with the corresponding continuum model prediction as a function of inlet to exit pressure ratio along the channels is presented in figure below. The experimental data is due to Mr. Arkilic and Prof. Breuer at MIT, and it is for Helium flow for Kn=0.165 at the exit of the channels. For Kn=0.165 flow, the mass-flow rate is enhanced by 100% for low pressure ratios. The slip flow theory predictons for this flow using the first-order slip boundary conditions is shown by dashed lines. A similar theory that employs second-order slip corrections is shown by solid lines. Computations made by mu-flow at four different pressure ratios is shown by dots. It is seen that the numerical results and second-order slip flow theory results match identically. The experimental data shows deviations from the both theories, and scatter of the experimental data makes it difficult to examine particular trends.

Normalized mass flow rate variation as a function of pressure ratio The approximate analytical models shown by lines are based on balancing the pressure drop with the viscous forces for completely isothermal flows. However in compressible flows inertial terms can be important and assuming constant temperature is not a very good assumption either. Nevertheless such approximations are required in order to obtain analytic solutions to the problem. In order to demonstrate the deviations from such semi-analytic formulas we have simulated Air flow in similar conditions. For slip and no-slip simulations we have detected deviations from the semi-analytic formulas typically in the order of Re (h/L) (Re: Reynolds number, h/l: height to length ratio of the channels) which can be deduced by an analysis of relative importance of inertial terms with diffusion terms. About 5% deviation from the analytic formula for large pressure drops is due to the relatively small length to height ratio used in our simulations. Non-linear pressure distribution in micro-channels became an important issue after point-wise measurements of pressure distribution along micro-channels by Prof. C.M. Ho's group at UCLA. In this figure we present pressure distribution of slip (solid

lines) and no-slip (dashed lines) flows along the micro-channel for three different inlet to exit pressure ratios. We see that the curvature in pressure distribution increases with increasing inlet to exit pressure ratio (lower curve shows almost linear pressure variation, higher pressure ratio has more dominant curvature). Also it is clear that the curvature in the pressure distribution for a slip flow is less than that of the no-slip simulation.

Pressure distribution along micro-channels for slip vs no-slip predictions.

In order to compare our simulations with Prof. C.M. Ho's experiments we have simulated Nitrogen flow at inlet to exit pressure ratio of 2.02 with channel outlet Knudsen number of 0.058. In this figure we plot the deviations in the pressure drop from the corresponding linear (incompressible) pressure drop. Experimental data is shown by the dots, corresponding slip and no-slip simulations are shown by the solid and dashed lines, respectively. It is clear that curvature effects in pressure distributions is decreased due to the rarefaction effects. The experimental data shows similar behaviour qualitatively.

Comparison of curvature in pressure distribution of UCLA/CALTECH experiments with mu-flow and analytic models.

It is difficult to asses the validity of the second-order slip models by comparison of such models to experimental data, which has significant scatter. Therefore we solved the same problem by using the DSMC method. The figure below shows the pressure distribution obtained by continuum based flow solvers imposing second-order slip boundary condition. For comparison we have included the no-slip predictions as well as predictions of DSMC code. DSMC and continuum based second-order slip results agree closely.

Comparison of pressure distribution in continuum based slip models and DSMC calculations

The predictions of velocity distribution obtained by DSMC and continuum based slip models is shown below at various (x/l) locations along the channel. Generally very good agreement in velocity distribution is obtained. The comparisons are made upto Kn=0.15, beyond the accepted limit of slip theory (Kn=0.1).

Velocity distribution in micro-channels. Comparison of continuum based slip models (mu-flow) and DSMC calculations.

In our continuum based simulations we have used the slip boundary condition based on obtaning the slip information about one mean-free-path away from the surface. We have tried obtaining the slip information 3/2, 1, and 2/3 mean-free-path away from the surface. It is seen that obtaining the slip information one mean-free-path away from the surface resulted in good agreement with the DSMC simulations.

Slip velocity distribution along a micro-channel. Mu-flow results are compared against the DSMC solutions.

Let us consider the velocity distribution (non-dimensionalized with the average velocity at that particular channel location). We assume that velocity profile is parabolic and the appropriate slip boundary condition is based on obtaining the slip information one mean-free away from the surface. In the left side of this figure we show DSMC and linearized Boltzmann solution (of Ohwada etal. 1989). We have also

included the predictions of other second-order slip boundary conditions. In the right side of this figure we have evaluated the error in the models by subtracting the linearized Boltzmann solution from the parabolic velocity profile subject to various second-order slip boundary conditions. It is seen that the error of our boundary condition is the least near the wall, and the over all error in predicting the velocity profile through-out the channel is bounded by 0.035 units.

Velocity profiles obtained by linearized Boltzmann and DSMC solutions at Kn=0.1. Error of various continuum-based slip models are shown on the right.

We will revisit the performance of our boundary conditions for higher values of Kn, especially in the transitional flow regime. Once we develop our unified model for the entire Knudsen regime (0.0 < Kn < oo), we will demonstrate that we can accurately predict the velocity distribution, volumetric and mass flow rate in channel and pipe flows in the entire Knudsen regime. We also obtain the pressure distribution very accurately. This is demonstrated in the figure below, where deviations of pressure

distribution from linear pressure drop for Nitrogen flow with Kn_o =0.2 and inlet to exit pressure ratio of 2.28 is shown. It is seen that the analytic model (shown by the solid line) gives very close results to the DSMC simulations.

Curvature in the pressure distribution for nitrogen flow at Kn=0.2 obtained by mu-flow, DSMC and unified model.

Since it is not possible to include the contributions of every micro-flow research group in this web pages, I would like to thank to the following professors and scientists for their valuable suggestions and for providing the experimental data to us: Acknowledgements

Related Publications

A. Beskok, and G. E. Karniadakis, Models and Scaling Laws for Rarefied Internal Gas Flows Including Separation , Presented at the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics, Irvine, California, 19-21 November 1995 (Submitted to Journal of Fluid Mechanics).

A. Beskok and G. E. Karniadakis, Simulation of Heat and Momentum Transfer in Complex Micro-Geometries , AIAA Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer, Vol. 8, No. 4, Oct-Dec 1994.

A. Beskok, W. Trimmer and G. E. Karniadakis, Rarefaction Compressibility and Thermal-Creep Effects in Micro-Flows , ASME Winter Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California, 12-17 November 1995.

A. Beskok, W. Trimmer and G. E. Karniadakis, Rarefaction and Compressibility Effects in Micro-Flows , Accepted to Journal of Fluids Engineering, expected date of publication September, 1996.

A. Beskok and G. E. Karniadakis, Simulation of Heat and Momentum Transfer in Complex Micro-Geometries , AIAA Shear Flow Conference, July 6-9 1993, Orlando, FL.

A. Beskok and G. E. Karniadakis, Simulation of Slip-Flows in Complex Micro-Geometries , DSC-Vol. 40, Micromechanical Systems, Editors D. Cho, J. P. Peterson, A. P. Pisano, and C. Friedrich Book No. G00743-1992, pp. 355370.

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