An investigation of the temperature dependence of Poiseuille numbers in microchannel flow

Abstract

Liquid (1-, 2-propanol and 1-, 3-pentanol) flow measurements through 5, 12, and 25 mu m hydraulic diameter microchannels are reported. These experiments indicate that the Poiseuille number depends on the temperature and, possibly, on the molecular isomerism of the liquid. The Poiseuille number increases by as much as 25% and 10% for the 12 and 25 mu m channels, respectively, as the temperature increases from 0 to 85 degrees C. These results are contrary to the predictions derived from the Navier-Stokes equation, which show that the Poiseuille number is independent of these parameters. The precision of these measurements is of the order of +or-2%, so that the observed deviations from theory are not readily explained by experimental errors.