A possible linear instability mechanism in small-scale pipe flows

Abstract

The laminar flow through a pipe of constant average radius is shown to display linear instability at low Reynolds number. This is offered as a possible mechanism that could be operating in small-scale flows. The effect of changing geometry, which could be a significant factor, is studied. A multigrid algorithm is used for computing the meanflow and a full non-parallel stability analysis is conducted. © 2006 Springer.