Tangential flow and advective mixing of viscoplastic fluids between eccentric cylinders

Abstract

This is a study on the tangential flow and advective mixing of viscoplastic fluids (Bingham plastics) between two eccentric, alternately rotating cylinders. Two geometrical configurations and various rotation modes are considered for a relatively large range of the yield stress. The hp-type finite element method with the mixed formulation is used to solve for the steady velocity and pressure fields. The bi-viscosity and the Papanastasiou models agree quantitatively with each other in predicting the velocity fields and the practically unyielded zones. However, the Papanastasiou model is more robust and economic than the bi-viscosity model in the computation using Newton iteration. In the steady flows, in addition to the motionless zones, we have discovered some plugs with rigid rotation, including rotating plugs stuck onto the outer cylinder and rotating, even counter-rotating, plugs disconnected from both cylinders. The unsteady, periodic flow is composed of a sequence of the steady flows, which is valid in the creeping flow regime. The characteristics of advective mixing in these flows have been studied by analysing the asymptotic coverages of a passive tracer, the distributions of the lineal stretching in the flow and the variations of the mean stretching of the flow with time. The tracer coverage is intuitive but qualitative and, occasionally, it depends on the initial location of the tracer. On the other hand, the distribution of stretching is quantitative and more reliable in reflecting the mixing characteristics. Interestingly, the zones of the lowest stretching in the distribution graphs are remarkably well matched with the regular zones in the tracer-coverage graphs. Furthermore, the mixing efficiency proposed by Ottino (1989) is used to characterize the advective mixing in the two geometrical configurations with various rotation modes. It is important to realize that, for plastic fluids, a major barrier to effective mixing is the unyielded fluid plugs which are controlled by the yield stress and geometrical configurations. Therefore, when designing an eccentric helical annular mixer it is important to pay attention first to the geometric issues then to the operating issues.