Crossflow or viscoplastic materials through tube bundles

The flow of viscoplastic materials through staggered arrays of tubes is analyzed. The mechanical behavior of the materials is assumed to obey the generalized Newtonian liquid (GNL) model, with a viscosity function given by the biviscosity law. The governing equations of this flow are solved numerically using a finite-volume method with a non-orthogonal mesh. For a representative range of the relevant parameters, results are presented in the form of velocity, pressure and viscosity fields. The pressure drop is also given as a function of rheological and geometric parameters. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.