FLOW OF A BINGHAM FLUID IN A SLIGHTLY CURVED TUBE

The steady laminar flow of a Bingham fluid in a curved tube of circular cross-section has been analysed in the high Dean number region by using boundary layer approximations. The flow domain has been considered to be consisting of a central plug core formation region surrounded by a viscous dominated boundary layer region near the wall. The momentum integral approach has been used which reduces the governing equations to a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. These equations have been solved by a Runge-Kutta Merson technique followed by an iterative procedure. The influence of yield number on the velocity distribution and frictional resistance in the high Dean number region have been studied and the results have been compared with Casson fluid possessing the same yield value.