Elastic Turbulence: An Experimental View on Inertialess Random Flow

A viscous solvent laminar flow may be strongly modified by the addition of a tiny amount of long polymer molecules, resulting in a chaotic flow called elastic turbulence (ET). ET is attributed to polymer stretching, which generates elastic stress and its back reaction on the flow. Its properties are analogous to those observed in hydrodynamic turbulence, although the formal similarity does not imply a similarity in physical mechanisms underlining these two types of random motion. Here we review the statistical and spectral properties and the spatial structure of the velocity field, the statistical and spectral properties of pressure fluctuations, and scaling of the friction factor of ET in wall-bounded and unbounded flow geometries, as observed in experiments and numerical simulations and described by theory for a wide range of control parameters and polymer concentrations.

Automated summary

Elastic turbulence (ET) is a chaotic flow phenomenon that occurs when a tiny amount of long polymer molecules is added to a viscous solvent laminar flow. ET is characterized by polymer stretching, which generates elastic stress and affects the flow. This review examines the statistical and spectral properties of the velocity field, pressure fluctuations, and friction factor scaling of ET in different flow geometries, based on experiments, numerical simulations, and theoretical descriptions.