Polymer effects on viscoelastic fluid flows in a planar constriction microchannel

A comprehensive understanding of the flow of viscoelastic polymer solutions in a contraction and/or an expansion geometry concerns numerous applications. The effects of polymer type, molecular weight, and concentration are investigated through controlled experiments with polyethylene oxide (PEO), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and hyaluronic acid (HA) solutions in a planar constriction microchannel in a wide range of Reynolds (Re) and Weissenberg (Wi) numbers. The polymer structure renders drastic differences amongst the contraction flows of 3000 ppm PEO, PVP, and HA solutions despite having similar molecular weights. The expansion flow vortices of these solutions remain analogous to those in the inertial flow of water. Increasing the molecular weight or concentration of PEO polymer promotes the elastic instabilities in both the contraction and expansion flows. It, however, suppresses (and even blocks) the inertial vortices in the expansion flow and makes them start from the salient corners, in contrast to the lips of the expansion walls in water. Interestingly, a sudden decrease in the size of inertial vortices is observed in the expansion flow of 500 ppm, 1 megadalton PEO solution when the elastic disturbances start appearing in the contraction flow. The observed flow regimes and vortex development in the polymer solutions are summarized in the same dimensionless Re - Wi and Re - chi(L) parameter spaces, where chi(L) is the normalized vortex length. The elasticity number, El = Wi/Re, is found to determine and distinguish the contraction and expansion flows.