Numerical predictions for laminar source-sink flow in a rotating cylindrical cavity

Abstract

Numerical solutions are presented for steady, axisymmetric, laminar, isothermal, source–sink flow in a rotating cylindrical cavity. These results, which are in good agreement with previously published experimental work, have been used to give a fresh insight into the nature of the flow and to investigate the validity of other theoretical solutions. When the fluid enters the cavity through a central uniform radial source and leaves through an outer sink, it is shown that the flow near the disks can be approximated by two known analytical solutions. If the radial source is replaced by an axial inlet the flow becomes more complex, with a wall jet forming on the downstream disk at sufficiently high flow rates.