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Abstract
Consideration is given to laminar flow in a channel from which a blocked branch line emanates at right angles. The channel and the branch line constitute a solution domain that is nonregular with respect to computer codes structured to deal with domains that are rectangular. As an application of a technique devised by Patankar, the nonregular domain was transformed into a rectangular domain within which the fluid experiences a stepwise change of viscosity, taking on infinite viscosity in regions where flow is not to exist. Numerical solutions were obtained for parametric values of the channel Reynolds number and of the dimensionless length of the blocked branch line. The results showed that the greatest disturbance of the main flow by the presence of the branch line occurs at low Reynolds numbers, but that the recirculation bubble in the branch line is more vigorous at high Reynolds numbers. The pressure drop in the channel is diminished by the presence of the branch line. The extent of the diminution is insensitive to the length of the branch line for lengths greater than a threshold value.