Viscoelastic Taylor Couette Flow Research Articles

Maximum drag enhancement asymptote in turbulent Taylor–Couette flow of dilute polymeric solutions

Direct numerical simulations in a wide-gap turbulent viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow in the Reynolds number (Re) range of 1500 to 8000 reveals the existence of a maximum drag enhancement (MDE) asymptote. The statistical properties associated with the turbulent and polymer dynamics demonstrate that the turbulent drag enhances with the increase of the Weissenberg number (Wi) and eventually saturates above a critical Wi, namely, the flow reaches the MDE state. The mean velocity profile in MDE state closely follows a logarithmic-like law with an identical slope (κK=2.32) and a Re-dependent intercept. A detailed analysis of flow structures reveals that the MDE asymptote results from the creation and eventual saturation of small-scale elastic and inertio-elastic Görtler vortices in the inner- and outer-wall regions, respectively. These vortical structures arise due to competing effects of polymer-induced stresses that either suppress or promote turbulent vortices. A close examination of competing forces in the azimuthal direction shows that the ratio of polymeric to turbulent stresses reaches a large plateau, underscoring the elastic nature of the MDE state. Moreover, the energy production mechanism in the MDE state further supports: (1) the universal interplay between polymers and turbulent vortices in a broad range of curvilinear and planar turbulent flows, and (2) the fact that the elastically induced asymptotic saturation of drag modification is an inherent property of elasticity-driven and/or elasto-inertial turbulence flow states. Overall, this study provides concrete evidence for our earlier postulate that asymptotic flow states in unidirectional turbulent viscoelastic flows are of elastic nature.

Viscoelastic instabilities of Taylor-Couette flows with different rotation regimes.

The critical modes of the instabilities of viscoelastic Taylor-Couette flow are investigated using both experiments and linear stability analysis when only one cylinder rotates and the other is fixed. A viscoelastic Rayleigh circulation criterion highlights that the elasticity of the polymer solution can induce a flow instability even if the Newtonian counterpart is stable. When the inner cylinder solely rotates, experimental results show three critical modes: stationary axisymmetric vortices or Taylor vortices for small elasticity, standing waves, also called ribbons for intermediate values of elasticity, and disordered vortices (DV) for large elasticity values. When the outer cylinder rotates and the inner cylinder is fixed and for large values of elasticity, the critical modes appear in the form of DV. There is a good agreement between experimental and theoretical results provided that the elasticity of the polymer solution is accurately determined. This article is part of the theme issue 'Taylor-Couette and related flows on the centennial of Taylor's seminal Philosophical Transactions paper (Part 2)'.

A novel transition route to elastically dominated turbulence in viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow

A novel transition route to elastically dominated turbulence in viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow

Vortex merging and splitting events in viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow

Recent experiments have reported a novel transition to elasto-inertial turbulence in the Taylor–Couette flow of a dilute polymer solution. Unlike previously reported transitions, this newly discovered scenario, dubbed vortex merging and splitting (VMS) transition, occurs in the centrifugally unstable regime and the mechanisms underlying it are two-dimensional: the flow becomes chaotic due to the proliferation of events where axisymmetric vortex pairs may be either created (vortex splitting) or annihilated (vortex merging). In this paper, we present direct numerical simulations, using the finitely extensible nonlinear elastic-Peterlin (FENE-P) constitutive equation to model the polymer dynamics, which reproduce the experimental observations with great accuracy and elucidate the reasons for the onset of this surprising dynamics. Starting from the Newtonian limit and increasing progressively the fluid's elasticity, we demonstrate that the VMS dynamics is not associated with the well-known Taylor vortices, but with a steady pattern of elastically induced axisymmetric vortex pairs known as diwhirls. The amount of angular momentum carried by these elastic vortices becomes increasingly small as the fluid's elasticity increases and it eventually reaches a marginal level. When this occurs, the diwhirls become dynamically disconnected from the rest of the system and move independently from each other in the axial direction. It is shown that vortex merging and splitting events, along with local transient chaotic dynamics, result from the interactions among diwhirls, and that this complex spatio-temporal dynamics persists even at elasticity levels twice as large as those investigated experimentally.

Floating Isogeometric Analysis

We propose Floating Isogeometric Analysis (FLIGA), which extends IGA to extreme deformation analysis. The method is based on a novel tensor-product construction of B-Splines for the update of the basis functions in one direction of the parametric space. With basis functions “floating” deformation-dependently in this direction, mesh distortion is overcome for problems in which extreme deformations occur predominantly along the associated (possibly curved) physical axis. In doing so, we preserve the numerical advantages of splines over many meshless basis functions, while avoiding remeshing. We employ material point integration for numerical quadrature, thus attributing a Lagrangian character to our technique. The paper introduces the method and reviews the fundamental properties of the FLIGA basis functions, including a numerical patch test. The performance of FLIGA is then numerically investigated on the benchmark of Newtonian and viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow. Finally, we simulate a viscoelastic extrusion-based additive manufacturing process, which served as the original motivation for the new approach.

A reverse transition route from inertial to elasticity-dominated turbulence in viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow

A high-order transition route from inertial to elasticity-dominated turbulence (EDT) in Taylor–Couette flows of polymeric solutions has been discovered via direct numerical simulations. This novel two-step transition route is realized by enhancing the extensional viscosity and hoop stresses of the polymeric solution via increasing the maximum chain extension at a fixed polymer concentration. Specifically, in the first step inertial turbulence is stabilized to a laminar flow much like the modulated wavy vortex flow. The second step destabilizes this laminar flow state to EDT, i.e. a spatially smooth and temporally random flow with a $-3.5$ scaling law of the energy spectrum reminiscent of elastic turbulence. The flow states involved are distinctly different to those observed in the reverse transition route from inertial turbulence via a relaminarization of the flow to elasto-inertial turbulence in parallel shear flows, underscoring the importance of polymer-induced hoop stresses in realizing EDT that are absent in parallel shear flows.

Transition to turbulence via flame patterns in viscoelastic Taylor-Couette flow.

Transition to inertio-elastic turbulence in Taylor-Couette flow with shear-thinning and viscoelastic polymer solutions is investigated when the rotation rate of the inner cylinder is increased and the outer cylinder is fixed. In two polymer solutions of PEO with elastic number [Formula: see text], the first instability of the circular Couette flow appears as spirals propagating in opposite directions along the axis of cylinders. Just above the onset of the spirals pattern, the localized solitons of the strong radial inflow called flame-like flow appear abruptly inside waves. The abrupt apparition of the flame-like flow is the signature of the subcritical transition to turbulence. The number of the flame-like flows follows a Gaussian distribution at given Ta number. The averaged number of the flame-like flow increases as the rotation rate is increased and it saturates in the inertio-elastic turbulence. The soliton of the strong radial inflow (flame-pattern) is created when it amplitude exceeds a critical value. The distribution of the critical amplitudes of the flame patterns follows a Gaussian law at given Ta number. The transition to turbulence is described by a mathematical model based on an error function of the probability to observe a strong inflow (flame-pattern). The statistical data of the critical amplitude and the probability to observe the flame patterns are used with the mathematical model in order to determine the stability curve of the transition to turbulence. The analysis of the transition to turbulence is completed by the characterization of the spatiotemporal properties.

Viscoelastic Taylor–Couette instability in the Keplerian regime

Instability modes of viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow in the Keplerian regime are investigated using both linear stability analysis and experimental detection of critical states. A generalised Rayleigh criterion has been derived and it allows to separate the zone of potential purely elastic instability modes and the zone of stability. The analogy between the instability of viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow in the Keplerian regime and the magnetorotational instability (MRI) of conducting magnetic fluids is established. Viscoelastic stress tensor can be represented by a tensor product of magnetic-like vectors. This allows to use the Velikhov-Chandrasekhar criterion of the MRI to predict the elasto-rotational instability (ERI). ERI modes obtained in linear stability and in the experiments are assumed to represent the MRI analogue modes as they are observed in the stable zone according to generalised Rayleigh discriminant.

A theory of magnetic-like fields for viscoelastic fluids

We formulate the Oldroyd-B model for viscoelastic fluids in terms of magnetic-like fields obeying a set of equations analogous to Maxwell’s equations. In the limit of infinite relaxation time for the polymer, the polymeric stress tensor can be identified with the Maxwell stress tensor of a magnetic field. Away from this asymptotic case, the stress tensor of the polymer cannot be decomposed in terms of a tensor product of a magnetic field any more and several theoretical issues arise. We show that the analogy between the Oldroyd-B model and Maxwell’s equations can still be rigorously extended provided that one defines three magnetic-like fields obeying Maxwell’s equations with magnetic currents and charges. This solves the theoretical caveats and leads to a better understanding of the viscoelastic instability. In particular, we evidence a gauge symmetry which unifies some previous works, and we investigate several gauge choices. As an illustration we apply our method to viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow but this theory of ‘viscoelastic fields’ is general and may be useful in a large variety of viscoelastic flows. The present study may also be of interest from the electromagnetic point of view, as it provides real systems possessing magnetic-like charges (monopoles) and currents.

Secondary flows due to finite aspect ratio in inertialess viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow

Both in rheometry and in fundamental fluid mechanics studies, the Taylor–Couette geometry is used frequently to investigate viscoelastic fluids. In order to ensure a constant shear rate in the gap between the inner and outer cylinders, such studies are usually restricted to the small-gap limit where the assumption of a linear velocity distribution is well justified. In conjunction with a sufficiently large aspect ratio$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6EC}$(i.e. ratio of cylinder height to gap), the flow is then assumed to be viscometric. Here we demonstrate, using a perturbation technique with the curvature ratio (i.e. ratio of the half-gap to the mid-radius of the cylinders) as the perturbation parameter, full nonlinear simulations using a finite-volume technique, and supporting experiments, that, even in the creeping-flow (inertialess) narrow-gap limit, for viscoelastic fluids end effects due to finite aspect ratio always give rise to a secondary motion. Using the constant-viscosity Oldroyd-B model we are able to show that this secondary motion, as has been observed in related pressure-driven flows with curvature, such as the viscoelastic Dean flow, is solely a consequence of the combination of gradients of the first normal-stress difference and curvature. Our results show that end effects can significantly change the flow characteristics, especially for small aspect ratios, and this may have important consequences in some situations such as the onset criteria for purely elastic instabilities.

Direct numerical simulation on transition of viscoelasticTaylor-Couette flow

Direct numerical simulation has been performed on transition of viscoelastic Taylor-Couette (TC) flow. Specifically, the transition of viscoelastic TC flow starting from the same initial state (AZI) is examined by varying parameters in the following three ways: (1) increasing the inertia while keeping the elasticity unchanged; (2) keeping the elasticity number (a ratio of inertia to elasticity) unchanged while increasing the inertia; (3) keeping the inertia unchanged while increasing the elasticity. The present calculations succeed in reproducing various typical flow states, including rotating standing waves (RSW), axisymmetric oscillatory strip (OS), non-axisymmetric OS and a flow state in form of traveling wave. Interestingly, with the continuously increasing elasticity from OS in Way 3, the OS becomes more turbulent, exhibiting broad PSDs with continuous power-law-decay region. After that, the OS breaks down into a new flow state consisting of intermittent solitary wave (ISW), which is characterized by solitary coherent structure appearing periodically and intermittently in time and localized axially with intense inflow/outflow spot. The transition sequences have been identified for the aforementioned three ways as: (1) from AZI to RSW to strong-weak RSW, then to RSW; (2) from AZI to OS to non-axisymmetric OS, then to a flow state in form of traveling wave; (3) from AZI to OS, then to ISW. On the other hand, three transition pathways which have the same departure and destination in parameter space are examined. Based on comparing the final states (space-time plots and PSDs) of the three pathways, existence of multiple flow states has been confirmed in viscoelastic TC flows.

A numerical study on nonlinear dynamics of three-dimensional time-depended viscoelastic Taylor-Couette flow

In this paper, three-dimensional viscoelastic Taylor-Couette instability between concentric rotating cylinders is studied numerically. The aim is to investigate and provide additional insight about the formation of time-dependent secondary flows in viscoelastic fluids between rotating cylinders. Here, the Giesekus model is used as the constitutive equation. The governing equations are solved using the finite volume method (FVM) and the PISO algorithm is employed for pressure correction. The effects of elasticity number, viscosity ratio, and mobility factor on various instability modes (especially high order ones) are investigated numerically and the origin of Taylor-Couette instability in Giesekus fluids is studied using the order of magnitude technique. The created instability is simulated for large values of fluid elasticity and high orders of nonlinearity. Also, the effect of elastic properties of fluid on the time-dependent secondary flows such as wave family and traveling wave and also on the critical conditions are studied in detail.

Defect-mediated turbulence in ribbons of viscoelastic Taylor-Couette flow.

Transition to defect-mediated turbulence in the ribbon patterns observed in a viscoelastic Taylor-Couette flow is investigated when the rotation rate of the inner cylinder is increased while the outer cylinder is fixed. In four polymer solutions with different values of the elasticity number, the defects appear just above the onset of the ribbon pattern and trigger the appearance of disordered oscillations when the rotation rate is increased. The flow structure around the defects is determined and the statistical properties of these defects are analyzed in the framework of the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation.

Viscoelastic Taylor-Couette instability as analog of the magnetorotational instability.

A linear stability analysis and an experimental study of a viscoelastic Taylor-Couette flow corotating in the Keplerian ratio allow us to elucidate the analogy between the viscoelastic instability and the magnetorotational instability (MRI). A generalized Rayleigh criterion allows us to determine the potentially unstable zone to pure-elasticity-driven perturbations. Experiments with a viscoelastic polymer solution yield four modes: one pure-elasticity mode and three elastorotational instability (ERI) modes that represent the MRI-analog modes. The destabilization by the polymer viscosity is evidenced for the ERI modes.

Nonlinear dynamics of viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow: effect of elasticity on pattern selection, molecular conformation and drag

Three-dimensional and time-dependent simulations of viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow of dilute polymer solutions are performed using a fully implicit parallel spectral time-splitting algorithm to discover flow patterns with various spatio-temporal symmetries, namely rotating standing waves (RSWs), disordered oscillations (DOs) and solitary vortex structures referred to as oscillatory strips (OSs) and diwhirls (DWs). A detailed account of the impact of flow transitions on molecular conformation and viscoelastic stress, velocity profiles, hydrodynamic drag force and energy spectra of time-dependent flow states is presented. Overall, predicted pattern selection and flow features compare very favourably with experimental observations. For elasticity number E, that signifies the ratio of elastic to viscous forces, >0.1, and when the shear rate (cylinder rotation speed) is increased above the linear stability threshold, the circular Couette flow (CCF) becomes unstable to RSWs which are characterized by a checkerboard-like pattern in the space–time plot of radial velocity, implying symmetry between inflow/outflow (I/O) regions. As the shear rate is further increased, perturbations that break the I/O symmetry are amplified leading to DOs and/or flame-like patterns with spectral mechanical energy transfer reminiscent of elastically induced low-Reynolds-number turbulence. However, when the shear rate is decreased from those at which such chaotic states are observed, the radially inward acting polymer body force created by flow-induced molecular stretching causes the development of narrow inflow regions surrounded by much broader weak outflow domains. This promotes the formation of solitary vortex structures, which can be stationary and axisymmetric (DWs) or time-dependent (OSs). The dynamics of the formation of these structures by merging and coalescence of vortex pairs and the implication of such events on instantaneous hydrodynamic force are studied. For O(1) values of E, OSs and DWs appear approximately at constant values of the We, defined as the ratio of polymer relaxation time to the inverse shear rate in the gap. As shear rate is decreased further, DWs decay to CCF although at We values less than the linear stability threshold. The flow transitions are hysteretic with respect to We, as evidenced by a plot of drag force versus We.

Time-dependent simulations of non-axisymmetric patterns in Taylor–Couette flow of dilute polymer solutions

Nonlinear dynamics that ensue after the inception of viscoelastic flow instabilities in homogeneous, curvilinear shear flows remain largely unexplored. In this work, we have developed an efficient, operator splitting influence matrix spectral (OSIMS) algorithm for the simulation of three-dimensional and transient viscoelastic flows. The OSIMS algorithm is applied to explore, for the first time, the post-critical dynamics of viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow of dilute polymeric solutions utilizing the Oldroyd-B constitutive equation. Linear stability theory predicts that the flow is unstable to non-axisymmetric and time-dependent disturbances with critical conditions depending on the flow elasticity, E, defined as the ratio of the characteristic time scales of fluid relaxation to viscous diffusion. Two types of secondary flow patterns emerge near the bifurcation point, namely, ribbons and spirals. We have demonstrated via time-dependent simulations for narrow and moderate gap widths, ribbon-like patterns are generally stable at and above the linear stability threshold for 0.05 ≤ E ≤ 0.15. For an inner to outer cylinder radius ratio of 0.8, the bifurcation to ribbons at E = 0.1 and 0.125 occurs through a subcritical transition while the transition is supercritical at smaller E values.

Experimental studies on the effect of viscous heating on the hydrodynamic stability of viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow

Experimental results on the hydrodynamic stability of three dilute polymer solutions (polyisobutylene-based Boger fluids) in Taylor–Couette flow are presented. We demonstrate that viscous heating causes significant destabilization relative to the isothermal viscoelastic case, and we quantify the effect of viscous heating on the critical conditions. Experiments in which the shear rate was stepped to a steady value indicate that the onset time for instability scales with the product of the polymeric relaxation time and the time for the fluid to reach a steady temperature profile under the influence of viscous heating. This time scale was used to perform quasistatic ramp tests to determine the critical Deborah number (De) as a function of the Nahme number, or the magnitude of viscous heating. At low Nahme and Peclet numbers, the critical De remains essentially constant and the disturbance flow is nonaxisymmetric and oscillatory. As the Nahme number (Na) and Peclet number (Pe) are increased, the disturbance f...

Nonlinear stability analysis of viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow in the presence of viscous heating

Recently, based on a linear stability analysis we demonstrated the existence of a new thermoelastic mode of instability in the viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow [Al-Mubaiyedh et al., Phys. Fluids 11, 3217 (1999); J. Rheol. 44, 1121 (2000)]. In this work, we use direct time-dependent simulations to examine the nonlinear evolution of finite amplitude disturbances arising as a result of this new mode of instability in the postcritical regime of purely elastic (i.e., Re=0), nonisothermal Taylor–Couette flow. Based on these simulations, it is shown that over a wide range of parameter space that includes the experimental conditions of White and Muller [Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 5130 (2000)], the primary bifurcation is supercritical and leads to a stationary and axisymmetric toroidal flow pattern. Moreover, the onset time associated with the evolution of finite amplitude disturbances to the final state is comparable to the thermal diffusion time. These simulations are consistent with the experimental findings.

A new approach for studying the hydrodynamic stability of fluids with microstructure

A new methodology for studying the stability of fluids with microstructure has been developed. This technique relies on combining continuum based conservation equations and stochastic simulation techniques to determine the hydrodynamic stability of flows under consideration. To illustrate the capability of the method, the stability of viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow has been examined.

Non-isothermal modification of purely elastic flow instabilities in torsional flows of polymeric fluids

Previous experimental measurements and linear stability analyses of curvilinear shearing flows of viscoelastic fluids have shown that the combination of streamwise curvature and elastic normal stresses can lead to flow destabilization. Torsional shear flows of highly elastic fluids with closed streamlines can also accumulate heat from viscous dissipation resulting in nonuniformity in the temperature profile within the flow and nonlinearity in the viscometric properties of the fluid. Recently, it has been shown by Al-Mubaiyedh et al. [Phys. Fluids 11, 3217 (1999)] that the inclusion of energetics in the linear stability analysis of viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow can change the dominant mode of the purely elastic instability from a nonaxisymmetric and time-dependent secondary flow to an axisymmetric stationary Taylor-type toroidal vortex that more closely agrees with the stability characteristics observed experimentally. In this work, we present a detailed experimental study of the effect of viscous heating on the torsional steady shearing of elastic fluids between a rotating cone and plate and between two rotating coaxial parallel plates. Elastic effects in the flow are characterized by the Deborah number, De, while the magnitude of the viscous heating is characterized by the Nahme–Griffith number, Na. We show that the relative importance of these two competing effects can be quantified by a new dimensionless thermoelastic parameter, Θ=Na1/2/De, which is a material property of a given viscoelastic fluid independent of the rate of deformation. By utilizing this thermoelastic number, experimental observations of viscoelastic flow stability in three different fluids and two different geometries over a range of temperatures can be rationalized and the critical conditions unified into a single flow stability diagram. The thermoelastic number is a function of the molecular weight of the polymer, the flow geometry, and the temperature of the test fluid. The experiments presented here were performed using test fluids consisting of three different high molecular weight monodisperse polystyrene solutions in various flow geometries and over a large range of temperatures. By systematically varying the temperature of the test fluid or the configuration of the test geometry, the thermoelastic number can be adjusted appreciably. When the characteristic time scale for viscous heating is much longer than the relaxation time of the test fluid (Θ≪1) the critical conditions for the onset of the elastic instability are in good agreement with the predictions of isothermal linear stability analyses. As the thermoelastic number approaches a critical value, the strong temperature gradients induced by viscous heating reduce the elasticity of the test fluid and delay the onset of the instability. At even larger values of the thermoelastic parameter, viscous heating stabilizes the flow completely.