Hybrid solution for the laminar flow of power-law fluids inside rectangular ducts

The so-called generalized integral transform technique (GITT) is employed i n the hybrid numerical-analytical solution of two-dimensional fully-develop ed laminar how of non-Newtonian power-law fluids inside rectangular ducts. The characteristic of the automatic and straightforward global error contro l procedure inherent to this approach, permits the determination of fully c onverged benchmark results to assess the performance of purely numerical te chniques. Therefore, numerical results for the product Fanning friction fac tor-generalized Reynolds number are computed for different values of power- law index and aspect ratio, which are compared with previously reported res ults in the literature, providing critical comparisons among them as well a s illustrating the powerfulness of the integral transform approach. The res ulting velocity profiles computed by using this methodology are also compar ed with those calculated by approximated methods for power-law fluids, with in the range of governing parameters studied.