Research on viscoelastic fluid unsteady flow model based on torque loss correction

Abstract

To address the complexity of unsteady shear flow in the initial start-up stage of rheometers, a model considering torque losses in motors and fixtures was developed based on the true torque balance relationship at the rotor boundary of the rheometer and the constitutive equation of the viscoelastic rheological model. The viscoelastic fluid transient flow model was established, and the real wall stress expression of unsteady shear flow of the viscoelastic fluid in the initial stage was obtained. The reliability of the model was verified by comparing the result from the analytical model with numerical calculation. The impact of the geometric dimensions of the test system and the material viscoelastic characteristics on the transient test was analyzed. The results show that the non-uniform velocity distribution has little effect on the initial strain response in the gap of the actual test system of the rheometer. The oscillation curves of strain and stress obtained by numerical and analytical methods coincide completely, proving the reliability of the model in characterizing the transient flow. For a Jeffery fluid, the elastic modulus G mainly affects the oscillation period and amplitude, the parallel viscosity pots η1 mainly impact the amplitude and oscillation attenuation speed, and the series clay pots η2 mainly influence the slope of the strain curve. The greater the system inertia, the more significant the creep oscillation in the unsteady flow process. The coupling between the test system inertia and the viscoelasticity fluid is the essential cause of the creep oscillation. Combined with the mechanical response characteristics of rheometer, a Jeffery model based on short term correction and torque loss was established. The model can accurately describe the strain time curve of gelled crude oil in the initial unsteady flow stage. The results of this study can help understand the rheological properties of materials in the transient start-up process.