Laminar Throughflow of a Fluid Containing Particles Between Corotating Disks

Abstract

The flow between corotating disks is the basic flow in multiple-disk turbomachinery and such turbomachinery can be used with possible advantage with dusty gases. An analysis is presented which models the steady laminar flow of a compressible or incompressible Newtonian fluid containing solid spherical particles in either radial inflow or radial outflow between smooth parallel corotating disks. The system of equations describing the flow of the two phases is rendered parabolic through the use of order-of-magnitude arguments allowed by the small disk spacing compared with the radial extent of the flow. The equations are expressed in finite difference form, then linearized, and solved by Gaussian elimination at each step of a marching procedure beginning at the entrance. Typical results for the distribution of pressure and of the velocity and density of each of the phases are presented.