Drag reduction efficiency for polymer-surfactant mixtures

Conference · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:602947

Kim, C A; Kim, J T; Choi, H J ^[1]

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1. Inha Univ., Inchon (Korea, Democratic People`s Republic of); and others

In a high Reynolds number fluid flow, significant energy loss occurs due to friction. However, by the addition of a minute amount of additives into this turbulent flow, frictional drag can be drastically reduced. This drag reduction phenomenon provides considerable motivation for diverse research to investigate its origin and application. Drag reduction has been reported for several solvent/additive systems, including dilute solution of high molecular weight polymers, surfactants, and micellar systems. Polymer systems as drag reducers have been extensively investigated. Recently, Choi and Jhon investigated the concentration dependence of drag reduction for PEO in water and PIB in kerosene systems using the rotating disk apparatus (RDA). However, due to the thermal instability and molecular degradation of drag reducing polymers, it is necessary to select alternative drag reducers. The possible formation of a polymer-surfactant complex takes on the character of a polyelectrolyte and it is shown that such polymer-surfactant complexes may have enhanced drag reduction properties based on the investigation of the turbulent pipe flow properties of high molecular weight PEO in SDS solution. In this study, we discuss details of conformation transitions of PEO molecules depending on external conditions such as pH, SDS and shear rate by adding the surfactant (Sodium dodecyl sulfate SDS, C{sub 12}H{sub 25}O{sub 4}SNa, (Fw:288.4) from Sigma Co. was used as a surfactant) and the PAA molecules. We also investigate modes of intermolecular interactions of both non-ionic and ionic polymers with surfactant and, finally, the polymer-surfactant complex under turbulent flow in an RDA.

• OSTI ID: 602947
• Report Number(s): CONF-961108--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ADDITIVES
DRAG
EFFICIENCY
FLUID FLOW
FRICTION
INSTABILITY
MICELLAR SYSTEMS
MIXTURES
MOLECULAR WEIGHT
POLYMERS
PROCESSING
REYNOLDS NUMBER
SHEAR
SURFACTANTS
TURBULENT FLOW