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Non‐Newtonian behavior of a suspension of liquid drops in tube flow
Author(s) -
Hyman W. A.,
Skalak Richard
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
aiche journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1547-5905
pISSN - 0001-1541
DOI - 10.1002/aic.690180128
Subject(s) - newtonian fluid , suspension (topology) , non newtonian fluid , mechanics , surface tension , spheres , pressure drop , tube (container) , pressure gradient , flow (mathematics) , materials science , chemistry , thermodynamics , composite material , physics , mathematics , astronomy , homotopy , pure mathematics
This paper present an analysis and computed results of the flow of deformable droplets of one Newtonian flow suspended in another Newtonian fluid. Surface tension is assumed to act at the interface of the two fluids. Non‐Newtonian characteristics of the suspension are demonstrated and are qualitatively similar to flow characteristics of blood in capillaries. The results show that the deformation of the drops may result in a significant reduction in the pressure gradient compared with that necessary for a suspension of rigid spheres or spherical (nondeformable) liquid drops. The decrease in the pressure gradient is velocity dependent. This constitutes a mechanism of non‐Newtonain behavior of the suspension as a whole, and is attributable to the flexibility of the suspended elements. The resultant shapes of the liquid drops are similar to the shapes of red blood cells that have been observed in narrow glass capillaries as well as in blood vessels.