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Non-Newtonian solvent effects on the rheological response of wormlike micelles solutions

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Abstract

Continuum models for the rheological behavior of viscoelastic fluids based on wormlike micelles are based on the assumption that the stress tensor is written as the sum of a contribution due to the aqueous solvent, which is considered as a newtonian and incompressible fluid, and a micellar contribution giving rise to viscoelasticity. However, it is important to keep in mind that in several applications the rheology of a wormlike micellar solution may undergo changes since the solvent nature can be altered through the introduction, whether intentionally or not, of new phases. In oil recovery process, for example, the contact of the aqueous surfactant solution with oil and gas phases may alter the micelle structure and rheology. In this work, we examine the effects of a power-law solvent model on the rheological response of wormlike micellar solutions in a steady Poiseuille flow through a planar channel. The VCM-based model is used, which represents a network scission description for concentrated wormlike micellar solutions. The resulting equations are numerically solved using the finite element method for spatial discretization. The simulations show that, beyond a critical shear rate, the micellar fluid exhibits a dramatic change on the velocity profiles and on the stress field as a result of the addition of a non-Newtonian solvent. A detailed analysis of the influence of the various fluid parameters on the flow field will also be made, showing that the non-Newtonian solvent exerts a deep influence on the entanglement process on the polymer chain-like formation structures.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by CAPES (PNPD 2010) under the project “Mecânica dos fluidos complexos: modelagem, simulação computacional e aplicações em microfluídica” and CNPq under the grant 209532/2013-0. The second author thanks the CNPq for its support under the grant 305490/2011-7. The third author gratefully acknowledges financial support provided by CNPq (312153/2013-9).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Engenharia Mecânica, COPPE/UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    A. G. B. da Cruz, D. O. A. Cruz & F. P. Duda

  2. Ilha do Fundão, 21.945-970, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    A. G. B. da Cruz

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  1. A. G. B. da Cruz
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  2. D. O. A. Cruz
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  3. F. P. Duda
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Correspondence to A. G. B. da Cruz.

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Technical Editor: Monica Feijo Naccache.

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da Cruz, A.G.B., Cruz, D.O.A. & Duda, F.P. Non-Newtonian solvent effects on the rheological response of wormlike micelles solutions. J Braz. Soc. Mech. Sci. Eng. 37, 1457–1466 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40430-014-0276-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40430-014-0276-2

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