Abstract
The results from a numerical investigation of inertial viscoelastic flow past a circular cylinder are presented which illustrate the significant effect that dilute concentrations of polymer additives have on complex flows. In particular, effects of polymer extensibility are studied as well as the role of viscoelasticity during three-dimensional cylinder wake transition. Simulations at two distinct Reynolds numbers (Re = 100 and Re = 300) revealed dramatic differences based on the choice of the polymer extensibility (L2 in the FENE-P model), as well as a stabilizing tendency of viscoelasticity. For the Re = 100 case, attention was focused on the effects of increasing polymer extensibility, which included a lengthening of the recirculation region immediately behind the cylinder and a sharp increase in average drag when compared to both the low extensibility and Newtonian cases. For Re = 300, a suppression of the three-dimensional Newtonian mode B instability was observed. This effect is more pronounced for higher polymer extensibilities where all three-dimensional structure is eliminated, and mechanisms for this stabilization are described in the context of roll-up instability inhibition in a viscoelastic shear layer. © 2010 Cambridge University Press.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 415-442 |
| Number of pages | 28 |
| Journal | Journal of Fluid Mechanics |
| Volume | 651 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 29 2010 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01Acknowledgements: The authors would like to acknowledge the Army High Performance Computing Research centre for Agility, Survivability and Informatics, Award No. W91IN F-072-0027, High Performance Technologies Inc and Department of the Army (Prime) for partial financial and computational support. In addition, this research has been funded in part by a King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) research grant under the KAUST Stanford Academic Excellence Alliance program. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the KAUST University.
This publication acknowledges KAUST support, but has no KAUST affiliated authors.