Modeling Flow-Induced Microstructure of Inhomogeneous Liquid-Liquid Mixtures
Wetzel, Eric Dean
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/83987
Description
Title
Modeling Flow-Induced Microstructure of Inhomogeneous Liquid-Liquid Mixtures
Author(s)
Wetzel, Eric Dean
Issue Date
1999
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Tucker, Charles L., III
Department of Study
Mechanical Engineering
Discipline
Mechanical Engineering
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Physics, Fluid and Plasma
Language
eng
Abstract
Liquid-liquid dispersions are found commonly in nature and industry. As these dispersions flow, the microstructure changes due to deformation and breakup processes at the microscale. The ability to predict this microstructural evolution has many applications, including controlling properties in polymer blends, predicting earthquake aftershocks, and modeling the flow of biological fluids. In order to model these systems, an exact Stokes flow solution is found for the deformation of a Newtonian droplet suspended in a Newtonian fluid with a different viscosity, for the case of negligible interfacial tension. Using this theory, we are able to predict droplet stretching, reorientation, and tumbling, and can quantitatively replicate available experimental observations of droplet behavior. A rheological theory for dilute dispersions is also derived which explicitly includes the effects of microstructure on the dispersion rheology. Example calculations show that, even in simple flows, microstructural effects can cause complex rheological behaviors in dispersions. Finally, these models are applied to complex flows of dispersions using the finite element method. Microstructure is predicted as a field variable in temporally- and spatially-varying flows, providing important new insights into microstructural development in dispersions.
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