Pressure drop for laminar flow in microchannels of arbitrary cross-sections

Abstract

Several models for steady laminar flow in short and long microchannels of arbitrary shape and aspect ratio are reviewed. The equivalent rectangle model of Muzychka and Yovanovich with the effective aspect ratio accurately predicts over 700 numerical and analytical data for fully developed flow for many non-circular microchannels. All data lie within ±5% of the curve for the rectangle. The general model of Muzychka and Yovanovich accurately predicts pressure drop in short and long microchannels of arbitrary shape and aspect ratio.