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Persistence of turbulent flow in microchannels at very low Reynolds numbers

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Abstract

A fully resolved numerical simulation of a turbulent microchannel flow, with uniformly spaced two-dimensional obstruction elements mounted at the wall and normal to the flow direction, was carried out at a very low Reynolds number of Re ≃ 970 based on the centerline velocity and the microchannel height. Employing the lattice Boltzmann numerical technique, all energetic scales of turbulence were resolved with about 19 × 106 grid points (1261 × 129 × 128 in the x 1, x 2, and x 3 directions). The simulated results confirm the self-maintenance of turbulence at such a low Reynolds number. Turbulence persisted over more than 1,000 turnover times, which was sufficiently long to prove its self-maintenance. These findings support the conjecture that turbulence developing in microchannels having rough walls can not only be initiated but also maintained at very low Reynolds numbers.

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Acknowledgments

The work presented was funded in part by Deusche Forschungsgemeinchaft through grant Jo 240/5-2. The second author gratefully acknowledge this support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CD-adapco, Nordost Park 3-5, 90411, Nuremberg, Germany

    Peter Lammers

  2. Institute of Fluid Mechanics, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Cauerstrasse 4, 91058, Erlangen, Germany

    Jovan Jovanović & Antonio Delgado

  3. Center of Smart Interfaces, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Petersenstrasse 32, 64287, Darmstadt, Germany

    Jovan Jovanović

Authors
  1. Peter Lammers
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  2. Jovan Jovanović
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  3. Antonio Delgado
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Correspondence to Jovan Jovanović.

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Lammers, P., Jovanović, J. & Delgado, A. Persistence of turbulent flow in microchannels at very low Reynolds numbers. Microfluid Nanofluid 11, 129–136 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-011-0779-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-011-0779-4

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