Unified view of elastic and elasto-inertial turbulence in channel flows at low and moderate Reynolds numbers

The chaotic flow of elastic fluids at low Reynolds number (<a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><a:mrow><a:mi>R</a:mi><a:mi>e</a:mi></a:mrow></a:math>) is typically distinguished into elasto-inertial and elastic turbulence (EIT/ET). However, the clear separation among these two turbulent regimes in parallel flows with a gradual <b:math xmlns:b="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><b:mrow><b:mi>R</b:mi><b:mi>e</b:mi></b:mrow></b:math> decrease remains elusive. Here, spanning <c:math xmlns:c="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><c:mrow><c:mi>R</c:mi><c:mi>e</c:mi></c:mrow></c:math> over four orders of magnitude, we investigate the statistical and structural nature of the flows computed by fully resolved 3D numerical simulations, revealing that as inertia becomes subdominant all flows share similar dynamical properties. Supported by the results, we thus propose a unified view of fully developed ET and EIT in parallel flows. Published by the American Physical Society 2024