Flow asymmetry enhanced by viscoelasticity

The development of preferential pathways in viscoelastic flow through a porous medium is a widely researched topic. We recognize a gap in the works that use simple geometries to model flow through such complex media. These geometries are often symmetric, like the archetypal confined cylinder. Therefore, in this work, we explore the flow of viscoelastic and shear-thinning viscoelastic fluids using finite-volume numerical simulations in three simple yet asymmetrical geometries involving a flow bifurcation. We show a robust elastic phenomenon of enhanced flow asymmetry above a Weissenberg number (Wi) of unity, irrespective of the geometry with even the slightest asymmetry in the pathways.