Extensible Nonlinear Elastic Dumbbell Model Research Articles

Extensional rheometry of mobile fluids. Part II: Comparison between the uniaxial, planar, and biaxial extensional rheology of dilute polymer solutions using numerically optimized stagnation point microfluidic devices

Part I of this paper [Haward et al., J. Rheol. 67, 995–1009 (2023)] presents a three-dimensional microfluidic device (the optimized uniaxial and biaxial extensional rheometer, OUBER) for generating near-homogeneous uniaxial and biaxial elongational flows. Here, in Part II, the OUBER device is employed to examine the uniaxial and biaxial extensional rheology of model dilute polymer solutions, compared with measurements made under planar extension in the optimized-shape cross-slot extensional rheometer [OSCER, Haward et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 128301 (2012)]. In each case, micro-particle image velocimetry is used to measure the extension rate as a function of the imposed flow conditions, and excess pressure drop measurements enable estimation of the tensile stress difference generated in the fluid via a new analysis based on the macroscopic power balance for flow through each device. Based on this analysis, for the most dilute polymer sample tested, which is “ultradilute”, the extensional viscosity is well described by Peterlin’s finitely extensible nonlinear elastic dumbbell model. In this limit, the biaxial extensional viscosity at high Weissenberg numbers (Wi) is half that of the uniaxial and planar extensional viscosities. At higher polymer concentrations, although the fluids remain dilute, the experimental measurements deviate from the model predictions, which is attributed to the onset of intermolecular interactions as the polymer chains unravel in the extensional flows. Of practical significance (and fundamental interest), elastic instability occurs at a significantly lower Wi in uniaxial extensional flow than in either biaxial or planar extensional flow, thereby limiting the utility of this flow type for extensional viscosity measurement.

Semi-Dilute Dumbbells: Solutions of the Fokker–Planck Equation

Spring bead models are commonly used in the constitutive equations for polymer melts. One such model based on kinetic theory—the finitely extensible nonlinear elastic dumbbell model incorporating a Peterlin closure approximation (FENE-P)—has previously been applied to study concentration-dependent anisotropy with the inclusion of a mean-field term to account for intermolecular forces in dilute polymer solutions for background profiles of weak shear and elongation. These investigations involved the solution of the Fokker–Planck equation incorporating a constitutive equation for the second moment. In this paper, we extend this analysis to include the effects of large background shear and elongation beyond the Hookean regime. Further, the constitutive equation is solved for the probability density function which permits the computation of any macroscopic variable, allowing direct comparison of the model predictions with molecular dynamics simulations. It was found that if the concentration effects at equilibrium are taken into account, the FENE-P model gives qualitatively the correct predictions, although the over-shoot in extension in comparison to the infinitely dilute case is significantly underpredicted.

Asymmetric flows of complex fluids past confined cylinders: A comprehensive numerical study with experimental validation

Three non-Newtonian constitutive models are employed to investigate how fluid rheological properties influence the development of laterally asymmetric flows past confined cylinders. First, simulations with the shear-thinning but inelastic Carreau–Yasuda model are compared against complementary flow velocimetry experiments on a semidilute xanthan gum solution, showing that shear-thinning alone is insufficient to cause flow asymmetry. Next, simulations with an elastic but non-shear-thinning finitely extensible non-linear elastic dumbbell model are compared with experiments on a constant viscosity solution of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) in an aqueous glycerol mixture. The simulations and the experiments reveal the development of an extended downstream wake due to elastic stresses generated at the stagnation point but show no significant lateral asymmetries of the flow around the sides of the cylinder. Finally, the elastic and shear-thinning linear Phan–Thien–Tanner (l-PTT) model is compared with experimental velocimetry on a rheologically similar solution of PEO in water. Here, at low flow rates, lateral symmetry is retained, while the growth of a downstream elastic wake is observed, in qualitative similarity to the non-shear-thinning elastic fluids. However, above a critical flow rate, the flow bifurcates to one of the two stable and steady laterally asymmetric states. Further parameter studies with the l-PTT model are performed by varying the degrees of shear-thinning and elasticity and also modifying the confinement of the cylinder. These tests confirm the importance of the coupling between shear-thinning and elasticity for the onset of asymmetric flows and also establish stability and bifurcation diagrams delineating the stable and unstable flow states.

The Entropy Satisfying Discontinuous Galerkin Method for Fokker–Planck equations

In Liu and Yu (SIAM J Numer Anal 50(3):1207---1239, 2012), we developed a finite volume method for Fokker---Planck equations with an application to finitely extensible nonlinear elastic dumbbell model for polymers subject to homogeneous fluids. The method preserves positivity and satisfies the discrete entropy inequalities, but has only first order accuracy in general cases. In this paper, we overcome this problem by developing uniformly accurate, entropy satisfying discontinuous Galerkin methods for solving Fokker---Planck equations. Both semidiscrete and fully discrete methods satisfy two desired properties: mass conservation and entropy satisfying in the sense that these schemes are shown to satisfy the discrete entropy inequality. These ensure that the schemes are entropy satisfying and preserve the equilibrium solutions. It is also proved the convergence of numerical solutions to the equilibrium solution as time becomes large. At the finite time, a positive truncation is used to generate the nonnegative numerical approximation which is as accurate as the obtained numerical solution. Both one and two-dimensional numerical results are provided to demonstrate the good qualities of the schemes, as well as effects of some canonical homogeneous flows.

Optimized Cross-Slot Flow Geometry for Microfluidic Extensional Rheometry

A precision-machined cross-slot flow geometry with a shape that has been optimized by numerical simulation of the fluid kinematics is fabricated and used to measure the extensional viscosity of a dilute polymer solution. Full-field birefringence microscopy is used to monitor the evolution and growth of macromolecular anisotropy along the stagnation point streamline, and we observe the formation of a strong and uniform birefringent strand when the dimensionless flow strength exceeds a critical Weissenberg number Wi(crit) ≈ 0.5. Birefringence and bulk pressure drop measurements provide self-consistent estimates of the planar extensional viscosity of the fluid over a wide range of deformation rates (26 s(-1) ≤ ε ≤ 435 s(-1)) and are also in close agreement with numerical simulations performed by using a finitely extensible nonlinear elastic dumbbell model.

On the Approximation of the Fokker–Planck Equation of the Finitely Extensible Nonlinear Elastic Dumbbell Model I: A New Weighted Formulation and an Optimal Spectral-Galerkin Algorithm in Two Dimensions

We propose a new weighted weak formulation for the Fokker–Planck equation of the finitely extensible nonlinear elastic dumbbell model and prove its well-posedness in weighted Sobolev spaces. We also propose simple and efficient semi-implicit time-discretization schemes which are unconditionally stable, i.e., the step size of time marching does not depend on the number of the bases used in configurational space. We then restrict ourselves to the two-dimensional case and construct two Fourier–Jacobi spectral-Galerkin algorithms which enjoy the following properties: (i) they are unconditionally stable, spectrally accurate, and of optimal computational complexity; (ii) they conserve the volume and provide accurate approximation to higher-order moments of the distribution function; and (iii) they can be easily extended to coupled nonhomogeneous systems. Numerical results are presented to show how to choose a proper weight to get the best numerical results of the distribution function and the polymer stress.

An Entropy Satisfying Conservative Method for the Fokker–Planck Equation of the Finitely Extensible Nonlinear Elastic Dumbbell Model

In this paper, we propose an entropy satisfying conservative method to solve the Fokker–Planck equation of the finitely extensible nonlinear elastic dumbbell model for polymers, subject to homogeneous fluids. Both semidiscrete and fully discrete schemes satisfy all three desired properties—(i) mass conservation, (ii) positivity preserving, and (iii) entropy satisfying—in the sense that these schemes satisfy discrete entropy inequalities for both the physical entropy and the quadratic entropy. These ensure that the computed solution is a probability density and the schemes are entropy stable and preserve the equilibrium solutions. We also prove convergence of the numerical solution to the equilibrium solution as time becomes large. Zero flux at boundary is naturally incorporated, and boundary behavior is resolved sharply. Both one- and two-dimensional numerical results are provided to demonstrate the good qualities of the scheme and the effects of some canonical homogeneous flows.

Microstructures of fiber suspensions in complex geometry

AbstractEvolutions of molecular conformation and fiber orientation in fiber suspensions are investigated by collocated finite volume method on unstructured triangular meshes. FENE-P (Finite Extensible Nonlinear Elastic Dumbbell model with Peterlin’s approximation) model which is microstructure-based is chosen to describe the polymeric matrix and TIF (transversely isotropic fluid) model is used to calculate the fiber contribution in order to realize the coupling of flow and fiber orientation. Microstructures of molecule and fiber are obtained by analyzing the information of molecular conformation tensor and second-order fiber orientation tensor respectively. Two numerical examples are considered, namely, a planar contraction flow and a planar flow past a confined cylinder. Present results are hoping to give more insight into the microscopic details of complex flows and thus be more helpful for industrial application.

A new model for dilute polymer solutions in flows with strong extensional components

Ghosh et al. (2001) demonstrated that the Kramers chain captures the optical and rheological properties of dilute polymer solutions in rapidly varying elongational flows better than the finitely extensible nonlinear elastic dumbbell model. A new model, based on introducing an adaptive length scale (ALS) as an internal variable, is developed to reproduce the fine scale physics of the Kramers chain. The resulting ALS-model describes the polymer molecule as a set of identical segments in which each segment represents a fragment of the polymer that is short enough so that it can sample its entire configuration space on the time scale of an imposed deformation and, therefore, stretch reversibly. As the molecule unravels, the number of segments decreases, but the maximum length of each segment increases, so that the constant maximum contour length of the molecule is preserved. The ALS model gives very good predictions of stress growth in startup of uniaxial elongation and stress-birefringence hysteresis in a uniaxial elongational flow followed by relaxation. A closed form of the constitutive equation, the ALS-C model, is proposed. The rheological predictions of the ALS-C model resemble those of the ALS equation. This coupled with its small number of internal degrees of freedom suggests that this constitutive equation may be useful in modeling complex flows.

DNS of the Turbulent Channel Flow of a Dilute Polymer Solution

A direct numerical simulation of the turbulent channel flow of a dilute polymer solution has been performed in order to compare its turbulence statistics with those obtained in a Newtonian channel flow. The viscoelastic flow has been simulated by solving the whole set of continuity, momentum and constitutive equations for the six independent components of the extra-stress tensor induced by polymer addition. The Finitely Extensible Nonlinear Elastic dumbbell model was adopted in order to simulate a non-linear modulus of elasticity and a finite extendibility of the polymer macromolecules. Simulations were carried out under the “narrow channel” assumption at a Reynolds number of 169 based on the channel half height and on the friction velocity; they showed a significant reduction in drag, dependent on the influence of the elastic properties of the chains. A qualitative comparison with experiments at a higher Reynolds number has shown that the model here adopted is capable of reproducing all the main features of the polymer solution flow. Analysis of the turbulence statistics suggests that a dilute polymer solution can affect the intensity of the streamwise vortices, leading to an increase in the spacing between low speed streaks and eventually to a turbulent shear stress reduction.