Solving the constitutive equation of dilute polymeric flows: A general Fokker–Planck approach for linear elastic dumbbell models

Abstract

We present a mesoscopic numerical solver for the constitutive equation of dilute polymer solutions, as described by the Fokker–Planck equation of bead-spring dumbbell models with linear spring forces, such as Oldroyd-B, FENE-P (finitely extensible nonlinear elastic with Peterlin closure), and C-FENE-P (charged FENE-P). The configuration density function of the Fokker–Planck equation is expanded into a series of Hermite polynomials, and we show that only a second order in the expansion is needed to describe the evolution of the polymer-induced stresses. The polymer-induced stress tensor is given exactly through a discrete representation of the configuration distribution function, which is obtained from a finite set of Gauss–Hermite quadrature points. In addition, we derive the conformation tensor equation, which serves as a mathematical quality check for the method. We solve the time evolution of the extra stress tensor for homogeneous flows of dilute polyelectrolyte solutions, conceptualized by the C-FENE-P model, which is a generalization of the FENE-P dumbbell model. The results are shown to be in excellent agreement with analytical and semi-analytical reference results for simple shear and extensional flows. While in this paper the focus is on linear connector forces, we believe that the principles of the derivation are extendable to other force laws.