Poiseuille flow of a micropolar fluid

Abstract

We use non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations to study the flow of a micropolar fluid and to test an extended Navier-Stokes theory (ENS) for such fluids. The angular streaming velocity (which is of course missing in the classical Navier-Stokes theory) and the translational streaming velocity are found to be in good agreement with the predictions of ENS theory. Besides, owing to molecular rotation, the translational streaming velocity profile is shown to deviate from the classical parabolic profile. Finally, temperature profiles calculated using three different expressions (a kinetic translational, a kinetic rotational and a recently derived configurational expression) are found to be in excellent agreement, demonstrating that the equipartition principle still holds in this non-equilibrium system. No deviation from the classical quartic temperature profile is observed.