Asymptotic analysis of the nonsteady micropolar fluid flow through a system of thin pipes

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the time‐dependent flow of an incompressible micropolar fluid in a multiple‐pipe system. Motivated by the applications, we assume that the pipes have circular cross‐section and that the ratio between pipes' thickness and its length is small, denoted by the parameter . Far from the junction, the fluid exhibits different behavior depending on the magnitude of the viscosity coefficients with respect to the small parameter . Focusing on the critical case described by the strong coupling between velocity and microrotation, the complete asymptotic expansion of the solution (up to an arbitrary order) is built. To improve the accuracy of the asymptotic approximation, we introduce the boundary layer correctors near the pipes' ends and take into account the interior layer correction in the vicinity of the junction as well. The convergence is also proved via error estimates, providing the rigorous justification of the proposed effective model.