Velocity-jump instabilities in Hele-Shaw flow of associating polymer solutions
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260 (United States)
We study fracturelike flow instabilities that arise when water is injected into a Hele-Shaw cell filled with aqueous solutions of associating polymers. We explore various polymer architectures, molecular weights, and solution concentrations. Simultaneous measurements of the finger tip velocity and of the pressure at the injection point allow us to describe the dynamics of the finger in terms of the {open_quotes}finger mobility,{close_quotes} which relates the velocity to the pressure gradient. The flow discontinuities, characterized by jumps in the finger tip velocity, which are observed in experiments with some of the polymer solutions, can be modeled by using a nonmonotonic dependence between a characteristic shear stress and the shear rate at the tip of the finger. A simple model, which is based on a viscosity function containing both a Newtonian and a non-Newtonian component, and which predicts nonmonotonic regions when the non-Newtonian component of the viscosity dominates, is shown to agree with the experimental data. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}
- OSTI ID:
- 686875
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. E, Statistical Physics, Plasmas, Fluids, and Related Interdisciplinary Topics, Journal Name: Physical Review. E, Statistical Physics, Plasmas, Fluids, and Related Interdisciplinary Topics Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 60; ISSN PLEEE8; ISSN 1063-651X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Models of non-Newtonian Hele-Shaw flow
Pattern selection in an anisotropic Hele-Shaw cell