Transition to Turbulence in Viscoelastic Channel Flow

• The influence of viscoelasticity on bypass transition to turbulence in channel flow is studied using data from direct numerical simulations by Agarwal et al. (2014) 1. The initial field is a superposition of a laminar base state and a localized disturbance. Relative to the Newtonian conditions, the polymeric FENE-P flow delays the onset of transition and extends its duration. The former effect is due to a weakening of the pre-transitional disturbance field, while the prolonged transition region is due to a slower spreading rate of the turbulent spots. Once turbulence occupies the full channel, a comparison of the turbulence fields shows that energetic flow structures are longer and wider in the polymeric flow. The final turbulent state is compared to elasto-inertial turbulence (EIT), where the polymer conformation field takes the form of elongated sheets with wide spanwise extent.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Channel flow

Polymers

Turbulent flow

Viscoelasticity

Bypass transition

Disturbance field

Polymer conformation

Transition regions

Transition to turbulence

Turbulence fields

Turbulent spots

Turbulent state

Turbulence

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