Characterization of frictional pressure drop of liquid flow through curved rectangular microchannels

This paper experimentally investigated the behavior of water through curved rectangular microchannels with different aspect ratios and curvature radii for Re numbers ranging from 10 to 600. The experimental data were compared with the results obtained from numerical analyses and the available correlations. The experimental results indicated that classical Navier-Stokes equations were applicable for the incompressible laminar flow passing through curved microchannels. Geometrical parameters, such as aspect ratio and curvature ratio, were found to have important effects on fluid flowing through curved rectangular microchannels. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.