Flow pattern transition accompanied with sudden growth of flow resistance in two-dimensional curvilinear viscoelastic flows

TL;DR

This study investigates flow pattern transitions in two-dimensional viscoelastic flows within a wavy channel, revealing how elastic effects induce sudden changes in flow structures and resistance, with detailed numerical analysis.

Contribution

The paper identifies and characterizes three steady flow solutions and their transitions in viscoelastic flows, highlighting the role of elastic forces and scaling laws.

Findings

Three flow regimes: convective, transition, elastic.

Flow transitions involve vortex disappearance and jet movement.

Stress component scales with Reynolds number at transition boundary.

Abstract

We find three types of steady solutions and remarkable flow pattern transitions between them in a two-dimensional wavy-walled channel for low to moderate Reynolds (Re) and Weissenberg (Wi) numbers using direct numerical simulations with spectral element method. The solutions are called "convective", "transition", and "elastic" in ascending order of Wi. In the convective region in the Re-Wi parameter space, the convective effect and the pressure gradient balance on average. As Wi increases, the elastic effect becomes suddenly comparable and the first transition sets in. Through the transition, a separation vortex disappears and a jet flow induced close to the wall by the viscoelasticity moves into the bulk; The viscous drag significantly drops and the elastic wall friction rises sharply. This transition is caused by an elastic force in the streamwise direction due to the competition of the convective and elastic effects. In the transition region, the convective and elastic effects balance. When the elastic effect dominates the convective effect, the second transition occurs but it is relatively moderate. The second one seems to be governed by so-called Weissenberg effect. These transitions are not sensitive to driving forces. By the scaling analysis, it is shown that the stress component is proportional to the Reynolds number on the boundary of the first transition in the Re-Wi space. This scaling coincides well with the numerical result.