Abstract
This paper is a study of laminar flow in rectangular microchannels. The behaviour of compressible and incompressible fluids in microchannels was simulated using CFD software. Numerical data were compared to experimental measurements to test the validity of CFD models. The velocity profile of flow developing inside the channel is described as a function of the Reynolds number Re, varying from 100 to 2000, and the aspect ratio h/w, ranging from 1 to 0.125. The fundamental importance of the entrance length of microchannels is highlighted. Numerical data were applied to define analytical formulae covering the minimum entrance length for fully developed laminar flow of compressible fluids, viscous stress and incremental pressure drop effect during flow development, and the velocity profiles of flow for compressible and incompressible fluids.
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