Computational Predictions for Boger Fluids and Circular Contraction Flow under Various Aspect Ratios

This work puts forward a modeling study contrasted against experimental, with focus on abrupt circular contraction flow of two highly-elastic constant shear-viscosity Boger fluids, i.e., a polyacrylamide dissolved in corn-syrup PAA/CS (Fluid-1) and a polyisobutylene dissolved in polybutene PIB/PB (Fluid-2), in various contraction-ratio geometries. Moreover, this work goes hand-in-hand with the counterpart matching of experimental pressure-drops observed in such 4:1 and 8:1 aspect-ratio contraction flows, as described experimentally in the literature. In this study, the experimental findings, for Boger fluids with severe strain-hardening features, reveal significant vortex-evolution characteristics, correlated with enhanced pressure-drop phasing and normal-stress response in the corner region. It is shown how such behavior may be replicated through simulation and the rheological dependencies that are necessary to bring this about. Predictive solutions with an advanced hybrid finite-element/volume (fe/fv) algorithm are able to elucidate the rheological properties (extensional viscosity and normal-stress response) that rule such vortex-enhancement evolution. This is accomplished by employing the novel swanINNFM(q) family of fluids, through the swIM model-variant, with its strong and efficient control on elongational properties.