Viscous Liquid Films in Nonradial Rotating Pipes[1]

Abstract

The dynamics of a thin liquid film flowing through a rotating pipe are studied. The flow is assumed to be fully developed and dominated by viscous forces. The fluid is drawn along the pipe by the centrifugal force. The pipe is tilted with respect to the radial direction so that the centrifugal force has a component perpendicular to the pipe axis. An approximate dynamic model is developed which describes the film surface shape, and which includes the effects of the Coriolis-induced secondary motion. Several simple, interesting solutions are presented.