Coherent structures in the turbulent channel flow of an elastoviscoplastic fluid

In this numerical and theoretical work, we study the turbulent channel flow of Newtonian and elastoviscoplastic fluids. The coherent structures in these flows are identified by means of higher order dynamic mode decomposition (HODMD), applied to a set of data non-equidistant in time, to reveal the role of the near-wall streaks and their breakdown, and the interplay between turbulent dynamics and non-Newtonian effects. HODMD identifies six different high-amplitude modes, which either describe the yielded flow or the yielded-unyielded flow interaction. The structure of the low- and high-frequency modes suggests that the interaction between high- and low-speed streamwise velocity structures is one of the mechanisms triggering the streak breakdown, dominant in Newtonian turbulence where we observe shorter near-wall streaks and a more chaotic dynamics. As the influence of elasticity and plasticity increases, the flow becomes more correlated in the streamwise direction, with long streaks disrupted for short times by localised perturbations, reflected in reduced drag. Finally, we present streamwise-periodic dynamic mode decomposition modes as a viable tool to describe the highly complex turbulent flows, and identify simple well-organised groups of travelling waves.