Oscillatory Flow Phenomena in Simple and Complex Fluids

Pulsatile and oscillatory flows are prevalent in many biological, industrial, and natural systems. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a noninvasive method for evaluating fluid mechanics and can be used to obtain spatially resolved velocity maps in simple and complex fluids. A system has been constructed to provide a controllable and predictable oscillatory flow in order to gain a better understanding of the impact of oscillatory flow on Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, specifically water, xanthan gum, polyacrylamide and a colloidal suspension. A core shell particle colloidal suspension is used as a model system since measurements can be obtained separately from the suspending fluid (water) and the liquid particle core (hexadecane oil) using NMR. The oscillatory flow system coupled with NMR measures the velocity distributions and dynamics of the fluid undergoing oscillatory flow at specific points in the oscillation cycle.