Rarefied gas flow in converging microchannel in slip and early transition regimes

Abstract

This work presents the study of isothermal rarefied gas flows in converging microchannels. Experiments are carried out on microchannels of three different converging angles (4°, 8°, and 12°). Numerical investigation is carried out using commercial software to study the local behaviour of the flow parameters. The simulations show a sudden drop in the fluid temperature at the exit of the microchannel. Knudsen minimum, which was experimentally observed for the first time recently in diverging microchannels, is also noted here in the case of flow in converging cross section. It is interesting to note that, at the location of Knudsen minimum, the Knudsen number and the value of the minimum mass flow rate are same for both converging and diverging cross sections, for all the angles tested. This result implies the absence of any flow preference at high Knudsen numbers when the flow is subjected to converging and diverging orientations of the microchannel.