NONISOTHERMAL FLOW OF NON-NEWTONIAN FLUIDS THROUGH A POROUS-MEDIUM

The question of the rheological effects of non-Newtonian fluids on some non-isothermal flows through a porous medium is addressed. These effects are illustrated on the temperature and pressure distributions for the case of a power law fluid with a yield stress, in which the yield stress is temperature dependent. The steady state solutions for the radial flow are analytically obtained. The temperature effect on the pressure distributions is graphically illustrated. The unsteady state solutions for one-dimensional flow, in which non-Newtonian behavior is of power law only and rheological parameters are temperature independent, are also obtained. These solutions determine the pressure and temperature distributions when the basic equations are decoupled and the fluid flow occurs due to the decompression mechanism of a non-Newtonian oil. © 1990.