Forced Axial Flow Between Rotating Concentric Cylinders

Abstract

Forced axial flow in an annular gap of a cylindrical rotor is investigated analytically and experimentally. At small rotation rates and narrow gap widths, the axial flow is a simple Poiseuille flow over most of the rotor. The distance required for this Poiseuille flow to get established is estimated. An instability is observed at large rotation rates with certain input geometries.