Fluid transport properties under confined conditions

Abstract

The problem of adequate description of transport processes of fluids in confined conditions is solved using methods of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. The «fluid–channel wall» system is regarded as a two-phase medium, in which each phase has a particular velocity and temperature. The obtained results show that the transfer equations describing transport processes in confined spaces should contain not only the stress tensor and the heat flux vector, but also the interfacial forces responsible for the transfer of momentum and heat due to the interaction with the wall surfaces. The stress tensor and the heat flux vector fluid can be expressed in terms of the effective viscosity and thermal conductivity. However, the constitutive relations contain additive terms that correspond to the fluid–surface interactions. Thus, not only do the fluid transport coefficients in nanochannels differ from the bulk transport coefficients, but also they are not determined only by the parameters of the fluid.