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Transition from laminar to turbulent flow in liquid filled microtubes

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An Erratum to this article was published on 04 November 2004

Abstract

The transition to turbulent flow is studied for liquids of different polarities in glass microtubes having diameters between 50 and 247 µm. The onset of transition occurs at Reynolds numbers of ~1,800–2,000, as indicated by greater-than-laminar pressure drop and micro-PIV measurements of mean velocity and rms velocity fluctuations at the centerline. Transition at anomalously low values of Reynolds number was never observed. Additionally, the results of more than 1,500 measurements of pressure drop versus flow rate confirm the macroscopic Poiseuille flow result for laminar flow resistance to within −1% systematic and ±2.5% rms random error for Reynolds numbers less than 1,800.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Microsystems Technology Office, Microflumes and Composite Computer-Aided-Design Programs, Grant # F33615-98-1-2853.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 157D Hammond Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    K. V. Sharp

  2. Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 216 Talbot Laboratory, MC-262, 104 South Wright Street, Urbana, IL , 61801, USA

    R. J. Adrian

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  1. K. V. Sharp
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  2. R. J. Adrian
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Correspondence to K. V. Sharp.

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An erratum to this article can be found at http:dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00348-004-0893-0

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Sharp, K.V., Adrian, R.J. Transition from laminar to turbulent flow in liquid filled microtubes. Exp Fluids 36, 741–747 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-003-0753-3

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