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Updated: May 26, 2026

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures
Published on: May 20, 2014
Large velocity fluctuations in small-Reynolds-number pipe flow of polymer solutions
D Bonn1, F Ingremeau, Y Amarouchene
1Laboratoire de Physique Statistique de l'ENS, 24 rue Lhomond, F-75005 Paris, France.
Abstract:
The flow of polymer solutions is examined in a flow geometry where a jet is used to inject the viscoelastic solution into a cylindrical tube. We show that this geometry allows for the generation of a "turbulentlike" flow at very low Reynolds numbers with a fluctuation level which can be as high as 30%. The fluctuations increase with an increase in solution polymer concentration and flow velocity. The turbulent fluctuations decay downstream for small flow velocities but persist for high velocities. The statistical properties of the generated fluctuations indicate that this turbulentlike flow is different from previously studied flows displaying elastic turbulence and shows a direct cascade of energy to small scales with practically no intermittency.
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