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Influence of Shear‐Thinning Rheology on the Mixing Dynamics in Taylor‐Couette Flow
Author(s) -
Cagney Neil,
Balabani Stavroula
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chemical engineering and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.403
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1521-4125
pISSN - 0930-7516
DOI - 10.1002/ceat.201900015
Subject(s) - taylor–couette flow , shear thinning , reynolds number , mechanics , taylor dispersion , vortex , rheology , newtonian fluid , non newtonian fluid , shear flow , viscoelasticity , materials science , shear (geology) , particle image velocimetry , couette flow , instability , thinning , thermodynamics , physics , flow (mathematics) , composite material , turbulence , diffusion , ecology , biology
Non‐Newtonian rheology can have a significant effect on mixing efficiency, which remains poorly understood. The effect of shear‐thinning rheology in a Taylor‐Couette reactor is studied using a combination of particle image velocimetry and flow visualization. Shear‐thinning is found to alter the critical Reynolds numbers for the formation of Taylor vortices and the higher‐order wavy instability, and is associated with an increase in the axial wavelength. Strong shear‐thinning and weak viscoelasticity can also lead to sudden transitions in wavelength as the Reynolds number is varied. Finally, it is shown that shear‐thinning causes an increase in the mixing time within vortices, due to a reduction in their circulation, but enhances the axial dispersion of fluid in the reactor.