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Direct numerical simulation of a turbulent channel flow in a periodic domain of relatively wide spanwise extent, but minimal streamwise length, is carried out at Reynolds numbers $\Rey_\tau\,{=}\,137$ and 349. The large-scale structures previously observed in studies of turbulent channel flow using huge computational domains are also shown to exist even in the streamwise-minimal channels of the present study. Moreover, the limitation of the streamwise length of the domain enforces the interaction between large-scale structures and near-wall structures, which consequently makes it tractable to extract a simple cycle of processes sustaining the structures in the present channel flow. It is shown that the large-scale structures are generated by the collective behaviour of near-wall structures and that the generation of the latter is in turn enhanced by the large-scale structures. Hence, near-wall and large-scale structures interact in a co-supporting cycle.

We search channel flow for unsteady solutions for different Reynolds numbers and configurations by extending a shooting method which was previously used to obtain a travelling-wave solution. A general initial condition is considered. A periodic-like solution to the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations in a minimal flow unit is found. One cycle of the solution consists of two typical intervals: a single-streak period and a double-streak period. The solution seems to be periodic; however, it cannot be distinguished from a heteroclinic cycle which consists of two heteroclinic orbits connecting two single-streak solutions, because the solution is tracked only for one and half periods.

A numerical continuation method has been carried out seeking solutions for two distinct flow configurations, planar Couette flow (PCF) and laterally heated flow in a vertical slot (LHF). We found that the spanwise vortex solution in LHF identifies a new solution in PCF. The vortical structure of our new solution has the shape of a hairpin observed ubiquitously in high-Reynolds-number turbulent flow, and we believe this discovery may provide the paradigm for a hierarchical organization of coherent structures in turbulent shear layers.

The inertial migration of neutrally buoyant spherical particles in square channel flows was investigated experimentally in the range of Reynolds numbers (Re) from 100 to 1200. The observation of particle positions at several cross-sections downstream from the channel entrance revealed unique patterns of particle distribution which reflects the presence of eight equilibrium positions in the cross-section, located at the centres of the channel faces and at the corners, except for low Re. At Re smaller than approximately 250, equilibrium positions at the corners are absent. The corner equilibrium positions were found to arise initially in the band formed along the channel face, followed by a progressive shift almost parallel to the side wall up to the diagonal line with increasing Re. Further increase in Re moves the corner equilibrium positions slightly toward the channel corner, whereas the equilibrium positions at the channel face centres are shifted toward the channel centre. As the observation sites become downstream, the particles were found to be more focused near the equilibrium positions keeping their positions almost unchanged. These lateral migration behaviours and focusing properties of particles in square channels are different to that observed in microchannels at lower Re and to what would be expected from extrapolating from the results for circular pipes at comparable Re.

The lateral migration properties of a rigid spherical particle suspended in a pressure-driven flow through channels with square cross-sections were investigated numerically, in the range of Reynolds numbers (Re) from 20 to 1000. The flow field around the particle was computed by the immersed boundary method to calculate the lateral forces exerted on the particle and its trajectories, starting from various initial positions. The numerical simulation showed that eight equilibrium positions of the particle are present at the centres of the channel faces and near the corners of the channel cross-section. The equilibrium positions at the centres of the channel faces are always stable, whereas the equilibrium positions at the corners are unstable until Re exceeds a certain critical value, Re c . At Re ≈ Re c , additional equilibrium positions appear on a heteroclinic orbit that joins the channel face and corner equilibrium positions, and the lateral forces along the heteroclinic orbit are very small. As Re increases, the channel face equilibrium positions are shifted towards the channel wall at first, and then shifted away from the channel wall. The channel corner equilibrium positions exhibit a monotonic shift towards the channel corner with increasing Re. Migration behaviours of the particle in the cross-section are also predicted for various values of Re. These numerical results account for the experimental observations of particle distributions in the cross-section of micro and millimetre scale channels, including the characteristic alignment and focusing of the particles, the absence of the corner equilibrium positions at low Re and the progressive shift of the equilibrium positions with Re.

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An experimental study of the inertial migration of neutrally buoyant spherical particles suspended in the Poiseuille flow through circular tubes has been conducted at Reynolds numbers $(Re)$ from 100 to 1100 for particle-to-tube diameter ratios of ${\sim}$0.1. The distributions of particles in the tube cross-section were measured at various distances from the tube inlet and the radial probability function of particles was calculated. At relatively high $Re$, the radial probability function was found to have two peaks, corresponding to the so-called Segre–Silberberg annulus and the inner annulus, the latter of which was first reported experimentally by Matas et al. (J. Fluid Mech. vol. 515, 2004, pp. 171–195) to represent accumulation of particles at smaller radial positions than the Segre–Silberberg annulus. They assumed that the inner annulus would be an equilibrium position of particles, where the resultant lateral force on the particles disappears, similar to the Segre–Silberberg annulus. The present experimental study showed that the fraction of particles observed on the Segre–Silberberg annulus increased and the fraction on the inner annulus decreased further downstream, accompanying an outward shift of the inner annulus towards the Segre–Silberberg annulus and a decrease in its width. These results suggested that if the tubes were long enough, the inner annulus would disappear such that all particles would be focused on the Segre–Silberberg annulus for $Re<1000$. At the cross-section nearest to the tube inlet, particles were absent in the peripheral region close to the tube wall including the expected Segre–Silberberg annulus position for $Re>700$. In addition, the entry length after which radial migration has fully developed was found to increase with increasing $Re$, in contrast to the conventional estimate. These results may be related to the developing flow in the tube entrance region where the radial force profile would be different from that of the fully developed Poiseuille flow and there may not be an equilibrium position corresponding to the Segre–Silberberg annulus.