Flow of non-Newtonian fluids in open channels

Abstract

This report details progress made in a Maths in Industry Study Group Project. The key conclusions of the study group were that correctly choosing an appropriate rheological model, and using appropriate data to compute the parameters of that model, is vital in recovering the correct fluid behaviour; and that exact mathematical solutions that exist for simplistic channel shapes can be used to approximate the flow in more complicated geometries. The problems of accurate numerical computation for highly non-Newtonian channel flow, as well as the complications that arise from turbulence, were identified as important areas of further research.