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Influences of polymer solution properties on flow in porous media

Book ·
OSTI ID:6252398
A systematic study of factors influencing the flow of polymer solutions in porous media is conducted. Effects of shear rate dependence, viscoelasticity, and molecule-wall interactions on the flow on porous media are studied. Packed beds of glass beads with different particle sizes are used. The polymer solutions include sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, xanthan gum, sodium cellulose sulfate ester, polyethylene oxide, and partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide. A dimensional analysis is utilized to design and correlate the porous media flow experiments. The effects of each mechanism are demonstrated by correlations of the dimensionless parameters. Variables in the dimensional analysis include power-law parameters, relaxation time, and molecular size of the polymer solution, porosity and particle size of the packed bed, and velocity and pressure gradient in the porous media flow experiment. Power-law parameters and relaxation time are determined from the cone-and-plate steady-shearing experiment. Polymer molecular size is characterized by coupling intrinsic viscosity measurements with gel permeation chromatography.
OSTI ID:
6252398
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English