Numerical and experimental investigation of microchannel flows with rough surfaces

A conical surface roughness model applicable to particle simulations has been developed. The model has been experimentally validated for channel flows using helium and nitrogen gases at Reynolds numbers from 0.01 to 10 based on inlet conditions. To efficiently simulate gas-surface interaction, molecular collisions with the actual rough surface are simulated by collisions with a randomly positioned conical hole having a fixed opening angle. This model requires only one surface parameter, average surface roughness angle. This model has also been linked to the Cercignani-Lampis scattering kernel as a required reference for use in deterministic kinetic solvers. Experiments were conducted on transitional flows through a 150 μ m tall, 1 cm wide, 1.5 cm long microchannel where the mean free path is on the order of the roughness size. The channel walls were made of silicon with: (i) polished smooth surfaces, (ii) regular triangular roughness, and (iii) regular square roughness with characteristic roughness scales of < 1 μ m , 11 μ m , and 29 μ m , respectively. For the triangular roughness, mass flow reductions ranged from 6% at the higher stagnation pressures tested to 25% at the lower stagnation pressures tested when compared to the smooth channel.