Sphere-frame flux in a tube ($q=(\pi a^{2}U-Q)/(2\pi a)$)

For a sphere falling with speed $U$ through a tube of radius $a$, let $Q$ be the downward laboratory volume flux. In the sphere frame the wall moves upwards and the narrow annulus carries upward flux per unit circumference $q=(\pi a^{2}U-Q)/(2\pi a)$. Couette-Poiseuille flow in a thin gap gives $q=Uh/2-h^3{p}_z/(12\mu )$. Thus the pressure below minus above the sphere is $\Delta P=6\mu (2q{I}_3-U{I}_2)$, using lubrication resistance integrals for a nearly occluding sphere. A nearly piston-like laboratory flux can coexist with a nonzero relative gap flux.