Polymer extension at stagnation points governs flow thickening of polymer solutions in ordered porous media
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866918526238851072 |
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| author | Chen, Emily Y. Haward, Simon J. Shen, Amy Q. Datta, Sujit S. |
| author_facet | Chen, Emily Y. Haward, Simon J. Shen, Amy Q. Datta, Sujit S. |
| contents | 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. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_27731 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Polymer extension at stagnation points governs flow thickening of polymer solutions in ordered porous media Chen, Emily Y. Haward, Simon J. Shen, Amy Q. Datta, Sujit S. Fluid Dynamics Materials Science Soft Condensed Matter Chaotic Dynamics Applied Physics 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. |
| title | Polymer extension at stagnation points governs flow thickening of polymer solutions in ordered porous media |
| topic | Fluid Dynamics Materials Science Soft Condensed Matter Chaotic Dynamics Applied Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.27731 |