Rheology and Fluid Dynamics Studies
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Abstract
Abstract
Polymer solutions exhibit anomalous flow thickening -- marked by an abrupt increase in the macroscopic flow resistance -- above a threshold flow rate in a porous medium, but not in bulk solution. This phenomenon has evaded a mechanistic description for over half a century. Here, we develop a model that quantitatively links pore-scale flow fields and fluid rheology to macroscopic flow thickening, and validate it in experiments in two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) porous media. We find that flow thickening in ordered media is governed by polymer extension at stagnation points -- in contrast to disordered media, where viscous dissipation by unsteady flow fluctuations also contributes substantially. Our results provide a foundation to predict and control such flows in energy, environmental, industrial, and microfluidic applications.
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@article{Chen2026Polymer,
title = {Polymer extension at stagnation points governs flow thickening of polymer solutions in ordered porous media},
author = {Emily Y. Chen and Simon J. Haward and Amy Q. Shen and Sujit S. Datta},
journal = {arXiv (Cornell University)},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2605.27731},
url = {https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2605.27731}
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