Numerical simulation of a stabilizing Poiseuille-type polymer fluid flow in the channel with elliptical cross-section

This work is devoted to the numerical analysis of stabilization of the incompressible viscoelastic polymer fluid flow in the channel with elliptical cross-section. To describe the flow, mesoscopic rheological relations are used, and resolving non-stationary equations are derived. For solving them a special pseudo-spectral method is developed and implemented. As time increases, under certain conditions on the parameters of flow the solution to the non-stationary problem stabilizes and converges to the one of three branches of the solution to the corresponding stationary problem. It is shown that the variation of the parameters describing polymer microstructure leads to the switch of stabilized solution between these branches. The work provides the results of simulation of the flow stabilization and the analysis of the threshold values of parameters at which the switching occurs.

Ultrahigh energy-dissipation elastomers by precisely tailoring the relaxation of confined polymer fluids

Energy-dissipation elastomers relying on their viscoelastic behavior of chain segments in the glass transition region can effectively suppress vibrations and noises in various fields, yet the operating frequency of those elastomers is difficult to control precisely and its range is narrow. Here, we report a synergistic strategy for constructing polymer-fluid-gels that provide controllable ultrahigh energy dissipation over a broad frequency range, which is difficult by traditional means. This is realized by precisely tailoring the relaxation of confined polymer fluids in the elastic networks. The symbiosis of this combination involves: elastic networks forming an elastic matrix that displays reversible deformation and polymer fluids reptating back and forth to dissipate mechanical energy. Using prototypical poly (n-butyl acrylate) elastomers, we demonstrate that the polymer-fluid-gels exhibit a controllable ultrahigh energy-dissipation property (loss factor larger than 0.5) with a broad frequency range (10−2 ~ 108 Hz). Energy absorption of the polymer-fluid-gels is over 200 times higher than that of commercial damping materials under the same dynamic stress. Moreover, their modulus is quasi-stable in the operating frequency range.

An Incompressible Polymer Fluid Interacting with a Koiter Shell

We study a mutually coupled mesoscopic-macroscopic-shell system of equations modeling a dilute incompressible polymer fluid which is evolving and interacting with a flexible shell of Koiter type. The polymer constitutes a solvent-solute mixture where the solvent is modelled on the macroscopic scale by the incompressible Navier–Stokes equation and the solute is modelled on the mesoscopic scale by a Fokker–Planck equation (Kolmogorov forward equation) for the probability density function of the bead-spring polymer chain configuration. This mixture interacts with a nonlinear elastic shell which serves as a moving boundary of the physical spatial domain of the polymer fluid. We use the classical model by Koiter to describe the shell movement which yields a fully nonlinear fourth order hyperbolic equation. Our main result is the existence of a weak solution to the underlying system which exists until the Koiter energy degenerates or the flexible shell approaches a self-intersection.

Hole Cleaning in Horizontal Wells Using Viscoelastic Fluids: An Experimental Study of Drilling-Fluid Properties on the Bed-Erosion Dynamics

Summary An experimental study was conducted to determine the influence of fluid elastic properties on the critical velocity, frictional pressure drops, and the turbulent-flow characteristics of polymer-fluid flow over a sand bed deposited in a horizontal pipe. Fluids were prepared using a special technique, which allowed for the alteration of fluid elastic properties while keeping the shear viscosity constant. By conducting experiments under controlled conditions, we were able to quantify the individual effect of the fluid elasticity (independent from shear viscosity) on the critical flow rate for bed erosion and the turbulent-flow characteristics of polymer-fluid flow over the stationary sand bed. Results showed that higher critical velocities were required for the onset of the bed erosion when we use the fluid with higher elasticity.

Effect of the Particle Size on the Near-Wall Turbulence Characteristics of the Polymer Fluid Flow and the Critical Velocity Required for Particle Removal from the Sand Bed Deposited in Horizontal Wells

Water-based polymer drilling fluids are commonly used for drilling long horizontal wells where eliminating the drilling fluid-related formation damage and minimizing the environmental impact of the drilling fluids are the main concerns. An experimental study was conducted to investigate the turbulent flow of a polymer fluid over a stationary sand bed deposited in a horizontal pipeline. The main objectives of the study were to determine the effects of sand particle size on the critical velocity required for the onset of the bed erosion and the near-wall turbulence characteristics of the polymer fluid flow over the sand bed. Industrial sand particles having three different size ranges (20/40, 30/50, 40/70) were used for the experiments. The particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique was used to determine instantaneous local velocity distributions and near-wall turbulence characteristics (such as Reynolds stress, axial and turbulence intensity profiles) of the polymer fluid flow over the stationary sand bed under turbulent flow conditions. The critical velocity for the onset of the particle removal from a stationary sand bed using a polymer fluid flow was affected by the sand particle size. The critical velocity required for the particle removal from the bed deposits did not change monotonously with the changing particle size. When polymer fluids were used for hole cleaning, the particle size effect on the critical velocity varied (i.e., critical velocity increased or decreased) depending on the relative comparison of the sand particle size with respect to the thickness of the viscous sublayer under turbulent flow condition.