Flow of water in a channel with various obstruction geometries at the entry

The flow characteristics of water (Newtonian fluid) in a test channel with various obstruction

geometries at the channel entry are investigated. The fluid motion in the test channel could be stagnant, forward or

reverse depending on the position of the obstruction geometries. The reverse flow phenomenon has attracted

attention of the authors due to its practical implication in the process industry. The reverse flow characteristics are

investigated in details at a fixed Reynolds number of 6000. The obstruction geometries used in the experiments

were circle, semicircle, triangle and flat plate. It was observed that the flat plate obstruction generated the

maximum reverse flow, while the triangle obstruction generated the least reverse flow. It was also observed that

the flat plate obstroction produced the least forward flow, while the circle obstruction produced the highest

forward flow. Flow visualisation photographs are presented and discussed here.