On the asymmetry of flow through a bifurcated channel

Abstract

Results are presented of detailed numerical simulation of spatially developed, three-dimensional laminar flow through a bifurcated channel for different inlet flow conditions. The flow development near the bifurcated part of the channel is observed to be very sensitive to the inlet velocity distribution. For an uniform axial inlet velocity, the flow visualization results indicate the formation of two counter rotating symmetric vortical structures, parallel to the port axis, in the bifurcated part of the channel. When a cross-flow (v-component of velocity) is introduced at the inlet, the flow behaviour near the bifurcated part of the channel changes drastically. For such an inlet flow condition one vortical structure becomes larger at the expense of the other, and the asymmetry prevails in the flow field. The phenomena get intensified with the increase of the Reynolds number. The present numerical prediction of the flow phenomena provides some explanation of the interesting observations reported in the previous experimental investigations.