Flow in a converging channel at moderate reynolds numbers

An analytical solution is found for flow in a converging channel for Reynolds numbers in the range of 102 to 103. The solution applies to an axisymmetric channel, for which the shape is given by R2z=constant, where R is the channel radius at the axial distance z. This shape produces a center-line or core velocity that increases linearly with z, thus making the extensional rate constant. The analytical solution is a pseudosimilarity solution of the axial momentum equation, and its accuracy was gauged by comparison to other results. Comparisons of velocity and pressure distributions to experimental data and to finite-element results indicate that the analytical solution is accurate to about 5%.