A Versatile Flow-Profile Engineering Method in the Stokes Flow Regime for Complex-Shaped Flows

Flow profiles are frequently engineered in microfluidic channels for enhanced mixing,reaction control,and material synthesis.Conventionally,flow profiles are engineered by inducing inertial secondary flow to redistribute the streams,which can hardly be reproduced in microfluidic environments with negligible inertial flow.The employed symmetric channel structures also limit the variety of achievable flow profiles.Moreover,each of the flow profiles specifically corresponds to a strictly defined flow condition and cannot be generalized to other flow environments.To address these issues,we present a systematic method to engineer the flow profile using inertialess secondary flow.The flow is manipulated in the Stokes regime by deploying a cascaded series of microsteps with various morphologies inside a microchannel to shape the flow profile.By tuning the shapes of the microsteps,arbitrary outflow profiles can be customized.A numerical profile-transformation program is developed for rapid prediction of the output profiles of arbitrary sequences of predefined microsteps.The proposed method allows the engineering of stable flow profiles,including asymmetric ones,over a wide range of flow conditions for complex microfluidic environmental prediction and design.

A general solution for Stokes flow and its application to the problem of a rigid plate translating in a fluid

A general solution for 3D Stokes flow is given which is different from, and more compact than the exist ing ones and more compact than them in that it involves only two scalar harmonic functions. The general solution deduced is combined with the potential theory method to study the Stokes flow induced by a rigid plate of arbitrary shape trans lating along the direction normal to it in an unbounded fluid. The boundary integral equation governing this problem is derived. When the plate is elliptic, exact analytical results are obtained not only for the drag force but also for the ve locity distributions. These results include and complete the ones available for a circular plate. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the main results for circular and ellip tic plates. In particular, the elliptic eccentricity of a plate is shown to exhibit significant influences.

Phragmén-Lindelf and continuous dependence type results in a Stokes flow

This paper investigates the asymptotic behavior of end effects for a Stokes flow defined on a three-dimensional semi-infinite cylinder. With homogeneous Dirichlet conditions of the velocity on the lateral surface of the cylinder, solutions either grow or decay exponentially in the distance from the finite end of the cylinder. In the case of decay, the effect of perturbing the equation parameters is also investigated.

On the solution of Stokes equations for plane boundaries

In a recent paper (Li et al., Acta Mech. Sin. 31, 32-44, 2015), the authors claimed that the general solution of steady Stokes flows can be compactly expressed using only two harmonic functions. They present two cases of a flat plate translating through a viscous fluid. The present paper shows that such a two-harmonic solution does not describe the rotation of a circular plate in an unbounded fluid and thus confirms that at least three independent harmonics are required to express the general solution of Stokes equations.

THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL FUNDAMENTAL SOLUTION TO STOKES FLOW IN THE OBLATE SPHEROIDAL COORDINATES WITH APPLICATIONS TO MULTIPLES SPHEROID PROBLEMS

A new three-dimensional fundamental solution to the Stokes flow was proposed by transforming the solid harmonic functions in Lamb's solution into expressions in terms Of the oblate spheroidal coordinates. These fundamental solutions are advantageous in treating flows past an arbitrary number of arbitrarily positioned and oriented oblate spheroids. The least squares technique was adopted herein so that the convergence difficulties often encountered in solving three-dimensional problems were completely avoided. The examples demonstrate that present approach is highly accurate, consistently stable and computationally efficient. The oblate spheroid may be used to model a variety of particle shapes between a circular disk and a sphere. For the first time, the effect of various geometric factors on the forces and torques exerted on two oblate spheroids were systematically studied by using the proposed fundamental solutions. The generality of this approach was illustrated by two problems of three spheroids.

Stokes flow of micro-polar fluids by peristaltic pumping through tube with slip boundary condition

This paper studies the Stokes flow of micro-polar fluids by peristaltic pumping through the cylindrical tube under the effect of the slip boundary condition. The motion of the wall is governed by the sinusoidal wave equation. The analytical and numerical solutions for the axial velocity, the micro-polar vector, the stream function, the pressure gradient, the friction force, and the mechanical efficiency are obtained by using the lu- brication theory under the low Reynolds number and long wavelength approximations. The impacts of the emerging parameters, such as the coupling number, the micro-polar parameter, the slip parameter on pumping characteristics, the friction force, the velocity profile, the mechanical efficiency, and the trapping phenomenon are depicted graphically. The numerical results infer that large pressure is required for peristaltic pumping when the coupling number is large, while opposite behaviors are found for the micro-polar parameter and the slip parameter. The size of the trapped bolus reduces with the increase in the coupling number and the micro-polar parameter, whereas it blows up with the increase in the slip parameter.

MOTION AND DEFORMATION OF VISCOUS DROP IN STOKES FLOW NEAR RIGID WALL

A boundary integral method was developed for simulating the motion and deformation of a viscous drop in an axisymmetric ambient Stokes flow near a rigid wall and for direct calculating the stress on the wall. Numerical experiments by the method were performed for different initial stand-off distances of the drop to the wall, viscosity ratios, combined surface tension and buoyancy parameters and ambient flow parameters. Numerical results show that due to the action of ambient flow and buoyancy the drop is compressed and stretched respectively in axial and radial directions when time goes. When the ambient flow action is weaker than that of the buoyancy the drop raises and bends upward and the stress on the wall induced by drop motion decreases when time advances. When the ambient flow action is stronger than that of the buoyancy the drop descends and becomes flatter and flatter as time goes. In this case when the initial stand-off distance is large the stress on the wall increases as the drop evolutes but when the stand-off distance is small the stress on the wall decreases as a result of combined effects of ambient flow, buoyancy and the stronger wall action to the flow. The action of the stress on the wall induced by drop motion is restricted in an area near the symmetric axis, which increases when the initial stand-off distance increases. When the initial stand-off distance increases the stress induced by drop motion decreases substantially. The surface tension effects resist the deformation and smooth the profile of the drop surfaces. The drop viscosity will reduce the deformation and migration of the drop.

STOKES FLOW DUE TO FUNDAMENTAL SINGULARITIES BEFORE A PLANE BOUNDARY

A representation for the velocity and pressure fields in three-dimensional Stokes flow was presented in terms of a biharmonic function A and a harmonic function B.This representation was used to establish a general theorem for the calculation of Stokes flow due to fundamental singularities in a region bounded by a stationary no-slip plane boundary.Collins's theorem for axisymmetric Stokes flow before a rigid plane follows as a special case of the theorem.A few illustrative examples are given to show its usefulness.

Analytical and numerical methods of symplectic system for Stokes flow in two-dimensional rectangular domain

In this paper, a new analytical method of symplectic system, Hamiltonian system, is introduced for solving the problem of the Stokes flow in a two-dimensional rectangular domain. In the system, the fundamental problem is reduced to an eigenvalue and eigensolution problem. The solution and boundary conditions can be expanded by eigensolutions using adjoint relationships of the symplectic ortho-normalization between the eigensolutions. A closed method of the symplectic eigensolution is presented based on completeness of the symplectic eigensolution space. The results show that fundamental flows can be described by zero eigenvalue eigensolutions, and local effects by nonzero eigenvalue eigensolutions. Numerical examples give various flows in a rectangular domain and show effectiveness of the method for solving a variety of problems. Meanwhile, the method can be used in solving other problems.

Stokes flow before plane boundary with mixed stick-slip boundary conditions

A general theorem for the Stokes flow over a plane boundary with mixed stick-slip boundary conditions is established. This is done by using a representation for the velocity and pressure fields in the three-dimensional Stokes flow in terms of a biharmonic function and a harmonic function. The earlier theorem for the Stokes flow due to fundamental singularities before a no-slip plane boundary is shown to be a special case of the present theorem. Furthermore, in terms of the Stokes stream function, a corollary of the theorem is also derived, providing a solution to the problem of the axisymmetric Stokes flow along a rigid plane with stick-slip boundary conditions. The formulae for the drag and torque exerted by the fluid on the boundary are established. An illustrative example is given.

ON THE COMPLETENESS OF THE GENERALIZED AXISYMMETRIC STOKES FLOW EQUATION

This paper defines new kinds of functions——the conjugate axisymmetric poteptial functions. With the aid of them, we can prove the completeness of the solutions of the generalized axisymmetric Stokes flow equation without the condition on the convexity of the domain.

A PENALTY-HYBRID FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF STOKES FLOW

A type of penalty-hybrid variational principle is suggested for the analysis of Stokesian flow. On such a basis, a finite element model is formulated featuring, among others, a priori satisfaction of the deviatoric stress and hydrostatic pressure on linear momentum balance equations. Also in the present scheme the hydrostatic pressure is successfully eliminated at the element level, leaving only nodal velocities as solution unknowns. A series of 4-node and 8-node quadrilateral elements are derived and examined. Numerical examples demonstrating their characteristic behaviors are also included.

THE MOTION OF A SPHERICAL PARTICLE IN THE STOKES FLOW OUTSIDE A CIRCULAR ORIFICE

For any study ofa suspension entering a pore, the knowledge of the force and moment exerted on a solute particle in an arbitrary position outside the pore is essential, 'This paper for the first lime presents approximate analytical expressions (in closed form) of all the twelve force and moment coefficienis for a sphere outsied a circular orifice, on the basis of a number of discrete data computed by Yan et al(1987).These coefficients are then applied to calculate the trajectory and angular velocity of a spherical particle approaching the pore at zero Reynolds number. The trajectory is in excellent agreement with the available experimental results. An analysis of the relative importance of the coefficients shows that the rotation effect cannot be neglected near the pore opening or near the wall, and that the lateral force effect must be taken into account in the neighborhood of the edge of the pore opening. It is due to neglecting these factors that previous theoretical results deviate from the experimental ones near the pore opening. The effects of the ratio of the particle to pore radii as well as the influences of the graritytbuoyance on the particle trajectory, velocity distribution and rotation are discnssed in detail. It is pointed out that in the experiments of neutrally-buoyant suspensions, the restriction on the density of the particle is most demanding for a large particle size.The expressions of forces and moments presenled herein are complete, relatively accurate and convenient, thus providing a good prerequisite for further studies of any problems involving the entrance of particles to a pare.

A New Unified Stabilized Mixed Finite Element Method of the Stokes-Darcy Coupled Problem: Isotropic Discretization

In this paper, we develop an a-priori error analysis of a new unified mixed finite element method for the coupling of fluid flow with porous media flow in RN, N ∈ {2,3}, on isotropic meshes. Flows are governed by the Stokes and Darcy equations, respectively, and the corresponding transmission conditions are given by mass conservation, balance of normal forces, and the Beavers-Joseph-Saffman law. The approach utilizes a modification of the Darcy problem which allows us to apply a variant nonconforming Crouzeix-Raviart finite element to the whole coupled Stokes-Darcy problem. The well-posedness of the finite element scheme and its convergence analysis are derived. Finally, the numerical experiments are presented, which confirm the excellent stability and accuracy of our method.

AXISYMMETRIC FLOW THROUGH A PERMEABLE NEAR-SPHERE

An analytical approach is described for the axisymmetric flow through a permeable near-sphere with a modification to boundary conditions in order to account permeability. The Stokes equation was solved by a regular perturbation technique up to the second order correction in epsilon representing the deviation from the radius of nondeformed sphere. The drag and the flow rate were calculated and the results were evaluated from the point of geometry and the permeability of the surface. An attempt also was made to apply the theory to the filter feeding problem. The filter appendages of small ecologically important aquatic organisms were modeled as axisymmetric permeable bodies, therefore a rough model for this problem was considered here as an oblate spheroid or near-sphere.

Diffusion and collective motion of rotlets in 2D space

We investigate the collective motion of rotlets that are placed in a single plane. Due to the hydrodynamic interactions,the particles move through the two-dimensional(2D) plane and we analyze these diffusive motions. By analyzing the scaling of the values, we predict that the diffusion coefficient scales with φ0.5, the average velocity with φ, and relaxation time of the velocity autocorrelation function with φ-1.5, where φ is the area fraction of the particles. In this paper, we find that the predicted scaling could be seen only when the initial particle position is homogeneous. The particle collective motions are different by starting the simulation from random initial positions, and the diffusion coefficient is the largest at a minimum volume fraction of our parameter range, φ = 0.05. The deviations based on two initial positions can be explained by the frequency of the collision events. The particles collide during their movements and the inter-particle distances gradually increase. When the area fraction is large, the particles will result in relatively homogeneous configurations regardless of the initial positions because of many collision events. When the area fraction is small(φ < 0.25), on the other hand, two initial positions would fall into different local solutions because the rare collision events would not modify the inter-particle distances drastically. By starting from the homogeneous initial positions, the particles show the maximum diffusion coefficient at φ≈ 0.20. The diffusion coefficient starts to decrease from this area fraction because the particles start to collide and hinder each other from a critical fraction ~23%. We believe our current work contributes to a basic understanding of the collective motion of rotating units.

Weighted L^p-estimates for Stokes flow in R_+~n with applications to the non-stationary Navier-Stokes flow

We study the time-decay properties of weighted norms of solutions to the Stokes equations and the Navier-Stokes equations in the half-space Rn+ (n 2). Three kinds of the weighted Lp-Lr estimates are established for the Stokes semigroup generated by the Stokes operator in the half-space R+n (n 2). As an application of the weighted estimates of the Stokes semigroup, a class of local and global strong solutions in weighted Lp (R+n) are constructed, following the approach given by Kato.

Solution of Two-Dimensional Stokes Flow Problems Using Improved Singular BoundaryMethod

In this paper,an improved singular boundarymethod(SBM),viewed as one kind of modified method of fundamental solution(MFS),is firstly applied for the numerical analysis of two-dimensional(2D)Stokes flow problems.The key issue of the SBM is the determination of the origin intensity factor used to remove the singularity of the fundamental solution and its derivatives.The new contribution of this study is that the origin intensity factors for the velocity,traction and pressure are derived,and based on that,the SBM formulations for 2D Stokes flow problems are presented.Several examples are provided to verify the correctness and robustness of the presented method.The numerical results clearly demonstrate the potentials of the present SBM for solving 2D Stokes flow problems.

Efficient Variable-Coefficient Finite-Volume Stokes Solvers

We investigate several robust preconditioners for solving the saddle-point linear systems that arise from spatial discretization of unsteady and steady variablecoefficient Stokes equations on a uniform staggered grid.Building on the success of using the classical projection method as a preconditioner for the coupled velocitypressure system[B.E.Griffith,J.Comp.Phys.,228(2009),pp.7565–7595],as well as established techniques for steady and unsteady Stokes flow in the finite-element literature,we construct preconditioners that employ independent generalized Helmholtz and Poisson solvers for the velocity and pressure subproblems.We demonstrate that only a single cycle of a standard geometric multigrid algorithm serves as an effective inexact solver for each of these subproblems.Contrary to traditional wisdom,we find that the Stokes problem can be solved nearly as efficiently as the independent pressure and velocity subproblems,making the overall cost of solving the Stokes system comparable to the cost of classical projection or fractional step methods for incompressible flow,even for steady flow and in the presence of large density and viscosity contrasts.Two of the five preconditioners considered here are found to be robust to GMRES restarts and to increasing problem size,making them suitable for large-scale problems.Our work opens many possibilities for constructing novel unsplit temporal integrators for finite-volume spatial discretizations of the equations of low Mach and incompressible flow dynamics.

A Simple 3D Immersed InterfaceMethod for Stokes Flow with Singular Forces on Staggered Grids

In this paper,a fairly simple 3D immersed interface method based on the CG-Uzawa type method and the level set representation of the interface is employed for solving three-dimensional Stokes flow with singular forces along the interface.The method is to apply the Taylor’s expansions only along the normal direction and incorporate the jump conditions up to the second normal derivatives into the finite difference schemes.A second order geometric iteration algorithm is employed for computing orthogonal projections on the surface with third-order accuracy.The Stokes equations are discretized involving the correction terms on staggered grids and then solved by the conjugate gradient Uzawa type method.The major advantages of the present method are the special simplicity,the ability in handling the Dirichlet boundary conditions,and no need of the pressure boundary condition.The method can also preserve the volume conservation and the discrete divergence free condition very well.The numerical results show that the proposed method is second order accurate and efficient.