Local drag reduction due to injection of polymer solutions into turbulent flow in a pipe. Part I: Dependence on local polymer concentration

AIChE Journal ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 547-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. D. McComb ◽  
L. H. Rabie
Keyword(s):  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Drag Reduction ◽  
Polymer Solutions ◽  
Polymer Concentration

An Experimental Investigation of Turbulent Drag Reduction in Concentric Annulus Using Particle Image Velocimetry Technique

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Ernesto Rodriguez Corredor ◽  
Majid Bizhani ◽  
Ergun Kuru
Keyword(s):  
Particle Image Velocimetry ◽  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Drag Reduction ◽  
Particle Image ◽  
Reynolds Shear Stress ◽  
Polymer Concentration ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Image Velocimetry

Polymer drag reduction is investigated using the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique in fully developed turbulent flow through a horizontal flow loop with concentric annular geometry (inner to outer pipe radius ratio = 0.4). The polymer used was a commercially available partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (PHPA). The polymer concentration was varied from 0.07 to 0.12% V/V. The drag reduction is enhanced by increasing polymer concentration until the concentration reaches an optimum value. After that, the drag reduction is decreased with the increasing polymer concentration. Optimum concentration value of PHPA was found to be around 0.1% V/V. Experiments were conducted at solvent Reynolds numbers of 38700, 46700 and 56400. The percent drag reduction was found to be increasing with the increasing Reynolds number. The study was also focused on analyzing the mean flow and turbulence statistics for fully-turbulent flow using the velocity measurements acquired by PIV. Axial mean velocity profile was found to be following the universal wall law close to the wall (i.e., y+ <10), but it deviated from log law results with an increased slope in the logarithmic zone (i.e., y+ >30). In all cases of polymer application, the viscous sublayer (i.e., y+ <10) thickness was found to be higher than that of the water flow. Reynolds shear stress in the core flow region was found to be decreasing with the increase in polymer concentration.

Turbulent Flow of Dilute Aqueous Polymer Solutions

1967 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 814-822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Goren ◽  
J. F. Norbury
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Drag Reduction ◽  
Polymer Concentration ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Turbulent Shear ◽  
Solid Boundary ◽  
Polymer Additives ◽  
Turbulent Shear Flow

This paper summarizes some of the research into the effect of polymer additives on turbulent shear flow, which was conducted at the University of Liverpool between October, 1964, and October, 1966. The paper contains a brief description of the research together with a summary of the principal results and conclusions. The present work was devoted to a detailed examination of the mechanism of a particular flow by gathering information on friction drag, velocity distribution, concentration distribution, and correlation with Reynolds number and polymer concentration level. The particular flow chosen was the fully developed turbulent flow in a 2-in-dia pipe of Polyox WSR-301 solutions. A maximum drag reduction of 71 percent was obtained at a Reynolds number of 1.5 × 105 for solutions having polymer concentration of 10 weight parts per million. The drag reduction effect occurred only above some “critical” Reynolds number which was independent of concentration. The polymer additives were found to influence the flow in the neighborhood of a solid boundary. In this zone of the flow, the eddy viscosity was found to be much lower than that of water. In the absence of a boundary, as in free jet flow, the polymer additives had no effect on the flow characteristics. The experiments showed for the first time that the polymer molecules were uniformly distributed across the pipe diameter under all turbulent flow conditions investigated. A method of determining polymer concentration was devised for this purpose.

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