Numerical study on the pressure drop of fluid flow in rough microchannels via the lattice Boltzmann method

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a quantitative assessment on the effect of wall roughness on the pressure drop of fluid flow in microchannels. Design/methodology/approach – The wall roughness is generated by the method of random midpoint displacement (RMD) and the lattice Boltzmann BGK model is applied. The influences of Reynolds number, relative roughness and the Hurst exponent of roughness profile on the Poiseuille number are investigated. Findings – Unlike the smooth channel flow, Reynolds number, relative roughness and the Hurst exponent of roughness profiles play critical roles on the Poiseuille number Po in rough microchannels. Modeling results indicate that, in rough microchannels, the rough surface configuration intensifies the flow-surface interactions and the wall conditions turn to dominate the flow characteristics. The perturbance of the local flows near the channel wall and the formation of recirculation regions are two main features of the flow-surface interactions. Research limitations/implications – The fluid flow in parallel planes with surface roughness is considered in the current study. In other words, only two-dimensional fluid flow is investigated. Practical implications – The LBM is a very useful tool to investigate the microscale flows. Originality/value – A new method (RMD) is applied to generate the wall roughness in parallel plane and LBM is conducted to investigate the pressure drop characteristics in rough microchannels.