Publication

Abstract : The primary goal of the present investigation is to examine the reverse flow phenomena in both a Newtonian fluid (water) and a shear thinning fluid (with a power-law index of n = 0.491) within a parallel plate channel. An obstruction (thin flat plate) is kept at the entry of the channel to generate reverse flow. The experiments are conducted at a Reynolds number of 2100, calculated based on the width of the channel (w). The influence of length of the test channel (L), width of the obstruction (b) and gap between the obstruction and test channel (g) is studied in detailed for both water and shear thinning fluid ((Xanthum gum solution). Influence of L/w, b/w and g/w on channel flow is investigated and the test configurations which favor reverse flow establishment are identified. The study reveals that reverse flow gets established in the test channel only for certain combinations of L/w, g/w and b/w. Reverse flow magnitude in shear thinning fluid is found to be much smaller than that in water owing to weaker vortex shedding behind the flat plate (obstruction) as well at the rear end of the channel.