Internal flow
Fluid flow within a fully confined region
In fluid mechanics, internal flow is a flow wherein the fluid is completely confined by inner surfaces of an item (e.g. a tube). Hence the boundary layer is unable to develop without eventually being constrained. The internal flow configuration represents a convenient geometry for heating and cooling fluids used in chemical processing, environmental control, and energy conversion technologies. Internal flow is fully dominated by viscosity throughout the flow field.
An example includes flow in a pipe.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Internal flow”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.