RT Journal Article
T1 Exceeding the Asymptotic Limit of Polymer Drag Reduction.
A1 Choueiri, George H.
A1 López-Alonso, José Manuel
A1 Hof, Björn
K1 Aerodinámica
K1 Polímeros
AB The drag of turbulent flows can be drastically decreased by addition of small amounts of highmolecular weight polymers. While drag reduction initially increases with polymer concentration,it eventually saturates to what is known as the maximum drag reduction (MDR) asymptote; thisasymptote is generally attributed to the dynamics being reduced to a marginal yet persistent stateof subdued turbulent motion. Contrary to this accepted view we will show in the following that foran appropriate choice of parameters polymers can reduce the drag beyond the suggested asymptoticlimit, eliminating turbulence and giving way to laminar flow. At higher polymer concentrationshowever, the laminar state becomes unstable, resulting in a fluctuating flow with the characteristicdrag of the MDR asymptote. Our findings indicate that the asymptotic state is hence dynamicallydisconnected from ordinary turbulence.
PB APS
YR 2018
FD 2018-03-19
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/33520
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/33520
LA eng
NO Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 124501
NO https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/6832
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 21 mar 2026