A unified view of elastic and elasto-inertial turbulence in channel flows at low and moderate Reynolds numbers

TL;DR

This paper presents a unified understanding of elastic and elasto-inertial turbulence in channel flows across a wide range of Reynolds numbers, showing that these regimes share similar dynamics when inertia is low.

Contribution

It introduces a unified framework for elastic and elasto-inertial turbulence, supported by comprehensive 3D simulations across various Reynolds numbers.

Findings

Flows share similar properties at low inertia

Unified view of ET and EIT proposed

Reynolds number span over four orders of magnitude

Abstract

The chaotic flow of elastic fluids at low Reynolds number (Re) is typically distinguished into elasto-inertial and elastic turbulence (EIT/ET). However, the clear separation among these two turbulent regimes in parallel flows with a gradual Re decrease remains elusive. Here, spanning Re over four orders of magnitude, we investigate the statistical and structural nature of the flows computed by fully resolved 3D numerical simulations, revealing that as inertia becomes sub-dominant all flows share similar dynamical properties. Supported by the results, we thus propose a unified view of fully developed ET and EIT in parallel flows.