Flow of a suspension in a flat channel with porous walls

Abstract

In the flow of a suspension in a channel with porous walls, when the size of particles of a suspended phase is much less than the width of the channel but greatly exceeds the size of the pores (in particular, in the flow of blood in the plasma separator used in an artificial kidney system [1, 2]), phenomena are observed which apparently cannot be satisfactorily explained by means of the well-known solutions of problems on the motion of a Newtonian fluid [3]. For example, the flow rate of the liquid phase of the suspension through the walls depends on the velocity of the main flow and does not depend on the pressure drop on the wall at fairly high values of it [1, 2]. The present study gives below the formulation and an approximate solution, which explains this effect, of the problem of an incompressible two-phase suspension in a long slit with porous walls which are impermeable in relation to the suspended phase and through which the liquid phase is pumped. Certain effects are taken into account which are caused by the high volume concentration of the suspended phase.