Daniel Berg

Date of Award

January 2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Clement Tang

Abstract

The following thesis discusses the in-depth research pertaining to flow through square and rectangular miniature channels with abrupt expansions, contractions, and flow through porous media. Fifty five previously published sources pertaining to the research were closely examined. A closed flow testing loop was designed, constructed, and calibrated to provide the ability to test a wide variety of single and multi-phase Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids in miniature channels. Over 250,000 data points were collected during the study. Single-phase water flow through 1.59 mm aluminum square channels with abrupt 4 to 1 area ratio expansion and contraction were tested for differential pressure at volumetric flow rates ranging from 1-300 ml/min. Sinle-phase water flow through 1.59 x 3.18 mm porous media test sections were also tested for differential pressure at volumetric flow rates ranging from 1-300 ml/min. The flow was driven by a highly accurate and precise syringe pump with 10 individual 0-690 kPa Honeywell pressure transducers reading local pressure at key locations along the channels allowing differential pressure to be calculated for multiple locations. Detailed analysis yielded results for a wide variety of parameters including: required power, required energy, form drag, viscous drag, correction factor selection by determining the onset of turbulence using modified Reynolds numbers, and many other critical details for accurately predicting theoretical differential pressure and overall flow behavior through a variety of miniature channels with abrupt changes in channel cross-sectional area.

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