Drag reduction behavior of hydrolyzed polyacrylamide/polysaccharide mixed polymer solutions—effect of solution salinity and polymer concentration

Anionic polyacrylamide is a hydrolyzed form of polyacrylamide (HPAM), which suffers from mechanical degradation at turbulent flow rates. In order to investigate the possibility of improving the shear resistance of HPAM, various polyacrylamide/polysaccharide mixtures as well as single xanthan gum (XG) and guar gum (GG) polymer solutions were prepared and drag reduction (DR) measurements were performed in a closed flow loop. It was found that the DR efficiencies of both XG and GG solutions were directly proportional to polymer concentration and both solutions exhibited excellent mechanical resistance at turbulent conditions. The presence of XG in concentrated HPAM/XG solutions (C > 450 wppm) significantly improved both DR efficiency and shear resistance of the solutions (6–8% decline after shearing for 2 h). GG solutions exhibited smaller DR efficiencies than XG solutions. Due to small molar mass and low flexibility, GG was not as good a friction reducer as XG and HPAM; therefore, the presence of GG did not improve the DR behavior of the binary solutions. Another issue associated with HPAM is sensitivity to the presence of salt ions in the solution. The effect of salt on the DR behavior was verified by addition of 2% KCl to single and binary solutions. Drag reduction efficiencies of HPAM/XG/KCl solutions were 28 and 20% compared to 10% DR of 1000 wppm HPAM/KCl solution. It was found that the presence of XG in binary solutions significantly reduced the negative effect of salt ions on HPAM molecules.     

Degradation of homogeneous polymer solutions in high shear turbulent pipe flow

This study quantifies degradation of polyethylene oxide (PEO) and polyacrylamide (PAM) polymer solutions in large diameter (2.72 cm) turbulent pipe flow at Reynolds numbers to 3 × 10⁵ and shear rates greater than 10⁵ 1/s. The present results support a universal scaling law for polymer chain scission reported by Vanapalli et al. (2006) that predicts the maximum chain drag force to be proportional to Re ^3/2, validating this scaling law at higher Reynolds numbers than prior studies. Use of this scaling gives estimated backbone bond strengths from PEO and PAM of 3.2 and 3.8 nN, respectively. Additionally, with the use of synthetic seawater as a solvent the onset of drag reduction occurred at higher shear rates relative to the pure water solvent solutions, but had little influence on the extent of degradation at higher shear rates. These results are significant for large diameter pipe flow applications that use polymers to reduce drag.     

定优胶溶液狭缝喷射减阻实验研究

定优胶具有比柔性聚合物更优越的抗剪切效果, 是一种新型高分子聚合物减阻添加剂, 目前对其研究仍相对缺乏. 这里通过开展定优胶流变和管内狭缝喷射减阻实验, 分析了流变特性与减阻行为之间的联系, 并从其喷射扩散角度解释了其减阻规律变化的原因. 实验结果表明, 定优胶溶液为剪切变稀流体, 会发生黏性到弹性转变, 且转变点与温度无关, 仅随浓度增加而前移; 定优胶减阻率随水流速度(雷诺数)呈先增后降趋势, 但随喷射速率单调递增; 相较于喷射纯水, 定优胶溶液在流场中扩散缓慢, 且喷射速率越高, 壁面附近集聚越明显. 同时, 定优胶溶液喷射减阻的变化与其扩散规律相吻合: 当流速较小时, 定优胶溶液扩散不充分, 呈非均匀聚集态, 未能充分发挥其湍流抑制效果, 减阻较弱; 随流速增加, 水流的剪切拖拽作用增强了定优胶的扩散均匀程度, 进而提升湍流抑制效果, 减阻率上升; 但当流速过大时, 定优胶的快速扩散造成其浓度被大幅稀释, 且近壁区过大剪切率可能已造成部分长链分子断裂, 致使减阻效果下降.      

Drag reduction effectiveness and shear stability of polymer-polymer and polymer-fibre mixtures in recirculatory turbulent flow of water

The turbulent drag reduction caused by polymer-polymer and polymerfibre mixtures has been measured in recirculatory flow of water. Shear stability studies have also been made on a number of drag reducing polymers, asbestos fibres and their mixtures in recirculatory turbulent flow of water. Reynolds numbers ranged from 20,000 to 57,000. Both positive and negative deviations from linear additive behaviour have been observed in drag reduction caused by the polymer-polymer mixtures depending upon their compositions, flow rate and polymer species in the mixture. The drag reduction by the mixtures has been predicted by using simple mixture rule equations including an interaction parameter. This interaction parameter is believed to depend upon the polymer interaction in the polymer mixture. The random coil size and rigidity of the polymer molecules appear to be responsible for the synergism observed in the drag reduction caused by the mixture. In general, mixtures having larger solvation number seem to give positive synergism.Synergism in drag reduction by the polymer-fibre mixtures has also been observed. The simple mixture law equation with interaction parameter is also applicable in predicting the drag reduction by the mixtures as above. The random coil size of the polymer molecules and the rigidity of the polymer-fibre system appear to be responsible for the synergism observed in drag reduction. In the shearstability studies it has been observed that the decrement in drag reduction (DR) is higher than the the decrement in absolute viscosity in most cases. Carboxymethyl cellulose is found to be the most shear stable polymer followed by guar gum, xanthan gum and polyacrylamide. The mixtures exhibiting synergism in causing drag reduction are found to be more shear stable.     

Okra as a drag reducer for high Reynolds numbers water flows

The capability of a mixture of okra fiber and mucilage as drag reducer in high Reynolds number flows through a pipeline, in which the flux is maintained by a centrifugal pump with controlled rotation, is analyzed. A DR close to the maximum drag reduction asymptote, which is obtained for polymeric additives, was achieved when concentrations around 1600 ppm were used. The loss of efficiency of the solution over the number of passes through the system was almost the same of that observed for rigid materials like Xanthan Gum and Guar Gum, which suggest that the main cause of a decreasing drag reduction is the de-aggregation instead of mechanical degradation, commonly observed in flexible polymers. As expected, the material degrades biologically, but it seems that it is not a great problem for open systems, since such a degradation is perceptible only after 24 h. We strongly believe that this new bio-drag reducer can be an alternative to synthetic polymers or other biopolymers, since it is extremely cheap and easy to be obtained.     

Drag reduction change of polyethyleneoxide solutions in pipe flow

Change of drag reduction (DR) along a tube (D=2 mm, L=4 m) was experimentally investigated. To attain turbulent flow with Re=8 × 10⁴, a tank operated under high pressure up to 16 MPa. Solutions of different brands of polyethyleneoxide (PEO) with concentrations from 1 ppm to 100 ppm were tested. The results indicate that DR is not a constant value but depends on the time and intensity of interaction between the polymer and the turbulent flow. There are three regions with different behaviors of DR: growth, maximum, and slope down. Maximum DR coincides with the Virk ultimate DR and can be described by the suggested simple formula . A decrease in the DR maximum has not been found even for high shear stresses τ _p < 800 Pa. DR dynamics for four brands of PEO with different molecular weight was studied. Direct experimentally determined DR may be greater than the Virk ultimate value if the change in velocity profile is not taken into account. The corrected DR never exceeds the ultimate DR. Received: 10 April 2000/Accepted: 24 May 2001     

Drag reduction in polymer mixtures

Summary Drag reduction was studied in dilute toluene solutions of a mixture of two polymers: polyisobutylene (of three different molecular weights) and 1,4-cis-isoprene rubber in the turbulent region at low (up to 5000) Reynolds numbers. Experiments were carried out with mixed solutions at a concentration equal to optimum concentration of polyisobutylene or higher than it. Drag reduction of the polymer mixtures depending on the ratio of the two polymers showed a positive deviation from the additive straight line at all concentrations investigated. To evaluate the degree of deviation from additivity, the excess drag reduction, was introduced which represents the difference between the actually measured drag reduction and that read from the additive straight line. The excess drag reduction showed almost no dependence on the molecular weight of polyisobutylene in the investigated range of this magnitude. Deviation from additivity depending on the ratio of the two polymers in the mixture growed higher with increasing the flow rate at a given molecular weight of polyisobutylene. The highest excess drag reduction was observed in solutions containing a larger amount of the lower molecular isoprene rubber polymer. The effect of polymer coils on drag reduction in binary polymer solutions was studied. An assumption was made that higher drag reduction in the polymer mixtures as compared to the additive was due to the change of polymer coil dimensions caused by the copresence of the macromolecules of both polymers in the solution. It was further supposed that low shear stresses at which the experiments were carried out caused sufficient orientation and deformation of isoprene rubber enlarged molecules and the contribution of the latter in increasing drag reduction of the mixture was higher.

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Zusammenfassung Die Widerstandsverminderung in verdünnten toluolischen Lösungen einer Mischung von zwei verschiedenen Polymeren wird untersucht. Verwendet werden Polyisobutylene (mit drei verschiedenen Molekulargewichten) und 1,4-cis-Isopren-Kautschuk, und es wird im turbulenten Bereich bei Reynolds-Zahlen bis zu 5000 gemessen. Die Versuche werden bei Konzentrationen, die der Optimalkonzentration von Polyisobutylen entsprechen, oder höheren Konzentrationen durchgeführt. Die Widerstandsverminderung der Polymermischungen zeigt bei allen untersuchten Konzentrationen eine positive Abweichung von der additiven Geraden, deren Größe vom Mischungsverhältnis abhängt. Zur Beschreibung der Abweichung vom additiven Verhalten wird die überschüssige Widerstandsverminderung (excess drag reduction) eingeführt, welche die Differenz zwischen dem wirklich gemessenen Wert und dem zugeordneten Wert auf der additiven Geraden beschreibt. Diese Größe zeigt nur eine geringe Abhängigkeit vom Molekulargewicht der eingesetzten Polyisobutylene. Die Abweichung vom additiven Verhalten als Funktion des Mischungsverhältnisses beider Polymeren wächst mit zunehmendem Volumenstrom. Die größte überschüssige Widerstandsverminderung wird in Lösungen beobachtet, die einen größeren Anteil des weniger hochmolekularen Isopren-Kautschuks enthalten. Der Einfluß der Polymerverknäuelung auf die Widerstandsverminderung wird betrachtet. Es wird angenommen, daß die überschüssige Widerstandsverminderung auf eine Änderung der Knäuelgröße infolge der Anwesenheit des jeweils anderen Polymeren in der Lösung zurückzuführen ist. Weiter wird vermutet, daß die relativ niedrigen Schubspannungen, bei denen die Versuche ausgeführt wurden, doch schon eine hinreichend starke Orientierung und Deformation der aufgeweiteten Isopren-Kautschuk-Moleküle bewirken, so daß deren Beitrag zur Erhöhung der Widerstandsverminderung überwiegt.

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Notations D diameter of capillary - DR drag reduction - DR _add additive drag reduction - DR excess drag reduction,DR = DR – DR _add - DR _mixture theoretical drag reduction of the mixture - DR _mixture ^* actually measured drag reduction of the mixture - DR _1R drag reduction of an IR molecule in a separate IR solution - DR _1R ^* drag reduction of an IR molecule in the presence of molecules of another polymer in the solution - DR _PIB drag reduction of a PIB molecule in a separate PIB solution - DR _PIB ^* drag reduction of a PIB molecule in the presence of molecules of another polymer in the solution - L length of the capillary - flow rate - c concentration - n number of IR molecules - p number of PIB molecules - _w wall shear stress - CMC carboxymethylcellulose - IR isoprene rubber - PAA polyacrylic acid - PAM polyacrylamide - PEI polyethyleneimine - PEO polyethylene oxide - PIB polyisobutylene - PS polystyrene     

Enhanced drag reduction via Interpolymer Associations

Hydrocarbon soluble polymers containing small percentages of polar associating groups are used to determine the effects of polymer associations on solution drag reduction. Experimental data suggest that intrapolymer associations generally decrease the dilute solution drag reduction activities of single associating polymers with like polar groups. Interpolymer complexes formed by, for example, one polymer with anionic groups and one polymer with cationic groups can overcome this limitation and provide enhanced dilute solution drag reduction activity as a result of favorable interpolymer associations which build larger structures of higher apparent molecular weight. The latter associations may also increase the polymers' resistance to degradation in turbulent flows.     

Effects of the extensional rate on two-dimensional turbulence of semi-dilute polymer solution flows

An experimental study has been performed to investigate the relationship between the extensional viscosity of polymers and the turbulent drag reduction. In order to obtain the flow which is mostly dominated by extensional flow, two-dimensional (2D) grid turbulence made by flowing soap films was used. Extensional rate added to the flow was controlled by changing the conformation of the grid. Polyethylene oxide, as a flexible polymer, and hydroxypropyl cellulose, as a rigid rod-like polymer were added to the flow. Several extensional rates affect polymer behaviors, which induce different effects. Drag reduction effects of polymers under several extensional rates were visualized and analyzed by image processing. Rheological properties of the polymer solutions were also measured by a rheometer. The results indicated that the mechanisms of energy transfer are different in the streamwise and normal directions. The critical concentration to observe drag reduction effects in 2D turbulence was changed by the extensional rate. When extensional rate is higher, the effects were started to observe from lower concentration. These results were confirmed to correspond to the drag reduction effects obtained by classical pressure drop experiments in a pipe flow.     

Degradation effects of dilute polymer solutions on turbulent drag reduction in pipe flows

An important practical problem in the application and study of drag reduction by polymer additives is the degradation of the polymer, for instance due to intense shearing, especially in recirculatory flow systems. Such degradation leads to a marked loss of the drag-reducing capability of the polymer.Three different polymer types were tested on degradation effects in a closed pipe flow system. The polymers used were Polyox WSR-301, Separan AP-273 and Superfloc A-110, dissolved in water in concentrations of 20 wppm each. The flow system consisted of a 16.3 mm pipe of 4.25 m length. Two different pumps were used: a centrifugal pump and a disc pump. Different solution-preparation procedures were tried and the experiments were performed at different flow rates.Superfloc A-110 proved to be both the most effective drag reducer and most resistant to degradation. Because of very fast degradation, Polyox WSR-301 was found to be unsuitable for being used as a drag reducer in re-circulatory systems. The disc pump proved to be much better suited for pumping the polymer solutions than the centrifugal pump. The degradation curve of the combination Superfloc/disc pump showed a plateau-like region with reasonable drag reduction, which makes it possible to perform (laser Doppler) measurements under nearly constant circumstances during a sufficient time.     

Rheological interpretation of pressure anomalies of aqueous dilute polymer solutions (ADPS) in orifice flow

The response of a considerable number of solutions of several polymers (PEO, HPAM, PAM) with concentrations of less than 100 ppm in orifice flow has been investigated. It is shown that the excess pressure (difference between the ADPS and the solvent total pressure drop) behaves linearly as a function of a superficial strain rate (ratio between a velocity and a length scale). In rheological terms this behaviour is interpreted as the result of a constant elongational viscosity whose values are two to three orders of magnitude larger than the shear viscosity. A formal approach to this phenomenological interpretation is suggested.     

Widerstandsverminderung in turbulenten Rohrströmungen: Stabilitätsverhalten wäßriger Polyacrylamidlösungen bei mechanischer und thermischer Beanspruchung

Experimental results on the drag reduction efficiency of polymers based on acrylamide are represented and discussed. The measurements were carried out on a laboratory and a pilot plant scale. Points of main interest are the mechanical and thermal stability of the polymers. The laboratory tests, which were performed under well defined conditions, show the decisive influence of wall shear stress on degradation. These results explain the good stability, which has been measured in a technical pipeline. In the case of suspensions of coal in water a drag reduction efficiency interesting for technical applications has been observed, too. The thermal degradation of the polymer is accelerated by oxygen solved in the water. Under inert conditions only very small degradation effects occur even at temperatures up to 150 °C. GPC measurements give instructive results for an understanding of the thermal and mechanical degradation of the polymers on a molecular base.     

Drag reduction in the turbulent pipe flow of polymers

The paper concerns an experimental study of the fully developed turbulent pipe flow of several different aqueous polymer solutions: 0.25%, 0.3% and 0.4% carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), 0.2% xanthan gum (XG), a 0.09%/0.09% CMC/XG blend, 0.125% and 0.2% polyacrylamide (PAA). The flow data include friction factor vs. Reynolds number, mean velocity and near-wall shear rate distributions, and axial velocity fluctuation intensity u′ at a fixed radial location as a laminar/turbulent transition indicator. For each fluid we also include measurements of shear viscosity, first normal-stress difference and extensional viscosity. At high shear rates we find that the degree of viscoelasticity increases with concentration (0.3% CMC is an exception) for a given polymer, and in the sequence XG, CMC/XG, CMC, PAA, whilst at low shear rates the ranking changes to CMC, CMC/XG, XG, PAA. The extensional viscosity ranking is XG/CMC, XG, CMC, PAA at high strain rates and the same as that for the viscoelasticity at low shear rates. We find that the observed drag-reduction behaviour is consistent for most part with the viscoelastic and extensional-viscosity behaviour at the low shear and strain rates typical of those occurring in the outer zone of the buffer region.Although laminar/turbulent transition is practically indiscernible from the friction factor vs. Reynolds number plots, particularly for PAA and XG, the u′ level provides a very clear indicator and it is found that the transition delay follows much the same trend with elasticity/extensional viscosity as the drag reduction.     

Influence of molecular weight and molecular conformation of polymers on turbulent drag reduction

Summary An investigation was carried out on drag reduction of diluted solutions of four polyisobutylenes of different molecular weight in diversely good and poor solvents in the turbulent region at small (up to 5000) and average (from 19 000 to 42 000) Reynolds numbers, as well as of mixtures of polyisobutylene and polystyrene and of two polyisobutylenes of different molecular weight. Concentration at maximum drag reduction grows, while drag reduction itself decreases with molecular weight going down. The universal curve established byVirk et al. for aqueous solutions of a polyethylene oxide family is also confirmed for a family of polyisobutylenes in an organic solvent. The effect of polymer coils of various dimensions on drag reduction is assessed. PIB coils of various dimensions are produced in two ways — dissolving polyisobutylenes of different molecular weight in a given solvent and dissolving polyisobutylene of a definite molecular weight in diversely good and poor solvent. Coil dimensions in the solution are increasing with the growth of intrinsic viscosity of a polymer by dissolving it in still better solvents, but probably due to impeded orientation and deformation of the larger polymer coils their drag reduction is smaller at low rather than at high shear stresses. Drag reduction of diluted solutions of two PIB differing in molecular weight shows almost no deviation from the additive straight line both when the overall concentration of solutions is equal and when it exceeds the one at maximum drag reduction of PIB of higher molecular weight. Drag reduction of diluted solutions of PIB and PS mixtures at an overall concentration higher than optimum concentration shows a positive deviation from the additive straight line.

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Zusammenfassung Untersucht wurde die Verringerung des Reibungswiderstandes (VRW) fließender, verdünnter Lösungen von vier Polyisobutylenen mit verschiedenem Molekulargewicht in unterschiedlich guten und schlechten Lösungsmitteln im turbulenten Bereich bei kleinen (bis 5000) und bei mittleren (von 19 000 bis 42 000) Reynoldsschen Zahlen, sowie von Mischungen aus Polyisobutylen und Polystyrol und aus zwei Polyisobutylenen mit verschiedenem Molekulargewicht. Die Konzentration bei maximalem VRW-Effekt nimmt zu, und der maximale VRW-Effekt selbst vermindert sich mit abnehmendem Molekulargewicht. Die vonVirk und Mitarbeitern für wäßrige Lösungen einer Reihe von Polyäthylenen festgestellte universale Kurve wird auch für die Polyisobutylenfamilie in einem organischen Lösungsmittel bestätigt. Der Einfluß der nach ihren Dimensionen unterschiedlichen Polymerknäuel auf die Verringerung des Reibungswiderstandes wurde ausgewertet. Polyisobutylen-Knäuel mit verschiedenen Dimensionen werden auf zwei Weisen realisiert, durch Auflösung von Polyisobutylenen mit verschiedenem Molekulargewicht in einem gegebenen Lösungsmittel und durch Auflösung von Polyisobutylen mit einem gegebenen Molekulargewicht in unterschiedlich guten und schlechten Lösungsmitteln. Mit der durch seine Auflösung in immer besseren Lösungsmitteln steigenden Grenzviskosität eines Polymeren nehmen die Knäueldimensionen in den Lösungen zu. Jedoch ist, wahrscheinlich wegen der damit verbundenen Behinderung der Orientierung und Deformierung der größeren Polymerknäuel, ihr VRW-Effekt bei den niedrigen Scherspannungen kleiner als bei den höheren. Der VRW-Effekt der verdünnten Lösungen aus zwei Polyisobutylenen mit verschiedenem Molekulargewicht weist fast keine Abweichung von der additiven Geraden auf, sowohl wenn die Gesamtkonzentration der Lösungen gleich als auch wenn sie größer als die Konzentration beim maximalen VRW-Effekt des Polyisobutylens mit höherem Molekulargewicht ist. Der VRW-Effekt der verdünnten Lösungen von Mischungen aus Polyisobutylen und Polystyrol mit einer über der optimalen liegenden Gesamtkonzentration zeigt eine positive Abweichung von der additiven Geraden.

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D diameter of capillary - [DR] intrinsic drag reduction - DR _F fractional drag reduction - DR _{F, max} maximum fractional drag reduction - DR_sp specific drag reduction - K constant - L length of capillary - M _v molecular weight of polymer, determined by the viscosimetric method - flow rate - c concentration - [c] intrinsic concentration - _equiv. equivalent sphere density - _{w, p} wall shear stress of polymer solution - _{w, s} wall shear stress of solvent - CMC carboxymethylcellulose - PAA polyacrylamide - PEO polyethylene oxide - PIB polyisobutylene - PS polystyrene - DR drag reduction With 8 figures and 2 tables     

Shear-thickening behavior of high molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) solutions

Simple shear rheological properties of solutions of a high molecular weight (8 × 10⁶ g/mol) poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and its mixtures with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) have been studied. Shear-thickening effects set in at a critical shear rate for PEO solutions. This particular behavior has not been reported for aqueous solutions of PEO, to our knowledge. The effect is attributed to PEO flow-induced self-aggregation. The experiments were performed in different operation modes (strain rate and stress controlled) and with different geometries (double wall Couette and Couette) and identical viscosities were obtained, which rules out flow instabilities as possible cause for the shear-thickening effect. Shear thickening was observed in the temperature range 15–50°C. Flow-induced PEO degradation occurs for shear rates in the shear-thickening regime, which indicates substantial chain deformation and accumulated stresses in the molecule when shear thickening occurs. Addition of SDS to the PEO solutions induces the formation of surfactant polymer complexes that preserve the characteristic shear-thickening effect.     

柔管自激振动特性与减阻效果的实验研究

为弄清柔管自激振动的湍流减阻效果的初步机理,在通过实验确认柔管确有湍流减阻效果的基础上,采用双重管结构和激光测位仪,对柔管的自激振动特性及湍流减阻效果及其两者的关系进行了实验研究．结果表明:管的壁厚越小,管外壁的自激振动的脉动位移有效值越大,湍流减阻效果越好;管壁外为压力平衡空气且雷诺数约为17500时,壁厚为2mm,3mm及4mm柔管的自激振动减阻率依次约为12％,10％,9％．这将为开发有效的管道流体输送技术提供参考．     

Experiments in Turbulent Pipe Flow with Polymer Additives at Maximum Drag Reduction

In this paper we report on (two-component) LDV experiments in a fully developed turbulent pipe flow with a drag-reducing polymer (partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide) dissolved in water. The Reynolds number based on the mean velocity, the pipe diameter and the local viscosity at the wall is approximately 10000. We have used polymer solutions with three different concentrations which have been chosen such that maximum drag reduction occurs. The amount of drag reduction found is 60–70%. Our experimental results are compared with results obtained with water and with a very dilute solution which exhibits only a small amount of drag reduction. We have focused on the observation of turbulence statistics (mean velocities and turbulence intensities) and on the various contributions to the total shear stress. The latter consists of a turbulent, a solvent (viscous) and a polymeric part. The polymers are found to contribute significantly to the total stress. With respect to the mean velocity profile we find a thickening of the buffer layer and an increase in the slope of the logarithmic profile. With respect to the turbulence statistics we find for the streamwise velocity fluctuations an increase of the root mean square at low polymer concentration but a return to values comparable to those for water at higher concentrations. The root mean square of the normal velocity fluctuations shows a strong decrease. Also the Reynolds (turbulent) shear stress and the correlation coefficient between the stream wise and the normal components are drastically reduced over the entire pipe diameter. In all cases the Reynolds stress stays definitely non-zero at maximum drag reduction. The consequence of the drop of the Reynolds stress is a large polymer stress, which can be 60% of the total stress. The kinetic-energy balance of the mean flow shows a large transfer of energy directly to the polymers instead of the route by turbulence. The kinetic energy of the turbulence suggests a possibly negative polymeric dissipation of turbulent energy. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Influence of wavy structured surfaces and large scale polymer structures on drag reduction

Drag reduction was studied for turbulent flow over a structured wall that contained 600 sinusoidal waves with a wavelength of 5 mm and an amplitude of 0.25 mm. A concentrated solution of a co-polymer of polyacrylamide and sodium acrylate was injected into the flow through wall slots. Laser Doppler velocimetry was used to measure turbulence. A fluorescence technique was developed that enabled us to demonstrate the existence, under certain circumstances, of large gelatinous structures in the injected polymer solution and in the flow channel.At maximum drag reduction, the Reynolds shear stress was zero and the velocity field was the same as found for a smooth surface. Larger drag reductions could be realized for a wavy wall because the initial drag was larger. The influences of polymers on the turbulent fields are similar for smooth and wavy boundaries. These results are of interest since the interaction with the wall can be quite different for water flow over smooth and wavy boundaries (which are characterized as being completely rough). An important effect of polymers is a decreasing relative importance of high frequency fluctuations with increasing drag reduction that is characterized by a cut-off frequency. This cut-off is the same for smooth and wavy walls at maximum drag reduction. The sensitivity of drag reduction to the method of preparing and delivering the polymer solution suggests that aggregation of polymers could be playing an important role for the system that was studied. For example, drag reduction was enhanced when large polymer structures are present.     

An experimental-based model for prediction of flow noise with drag reducing polymers

The drag reduction characteristics of certain high molecular weight polymers have been studied by various investigators. Because of the polymer’s ability to reduce turbulent shear stress and dependence of the boundary layer wall pressure spectral amplitude on the shear stress, polymer has the potential to suppress noise and vibration caused by the boundary layer unsteady pressures. Compared to its effect on drag reduction, polymer additive effects on turbulent boundary layer (TBL) wall pressure fluctuations have received little attention. Kadykov and Lyamshev [Sov. Phys. Acoust. 16 (1970) 59], Greshilor et al. [Sov. Phys. Acoust. 21 (1975) 247] showed that drag reducing polymer additives do indeed reduce wall pressure fluctuations, but they have not established any scaling relationship which effectively collapse data. Some effort has been made by Timothy et al. [JASA 108 (1) (2000) 71] at Penn State University to develop a scaling relationship for TBL wall pressure fluctuations that are modified by adding drag reducing polymer to pure water flow. This paper presents a theoretical model based on the work of the Timothy et al. team at ARL, Penn State University. Through this model one can estimate, reduction in TBL flow induced noise and vibration for rigid smooth surfaces due to release of drag reducing polymers in boundary layer region. Using this theoretical model, flow noise as experienced by a typical flush mounted hydrophone has been estimated for a smooth wall plate as a function of polymer additive concentration. Effect of non-dimensionalisation of the wall pressure fluctuations frequency spectra with traditional outer, inner and mixed flow variables will also be addressed in the paper. The paper also covers a model based on molecular relaxation time in polymer additives which not only reduce drag but also flow induced noise up to certain polymer concentration.     

A technique to determine total shear stress and polymer stress profiles in drag reduced boundary layer flows

Two methods of recovering the entire total shear stress profile from incomplete velocity data in turbulent boundary layers are presented and validated for both DNS simulations and experimental measurements. The first method, an exponential–polynomial curve fit, recovers the whole total shear stress profile using the data from the outer part of the boundary layer (y/δ>0.3). However, while performing well, this curve fit is sensitive to the quality of the data. The second method, a new (1−y/δ) weighted straight line fit, which is very simple and accurate, has been applied to current experiments of drag reduction in zero pressure gradient turbulent boundary layers with and without polymer injection. The total shear stress profile obtained from this fit is used to estimate the contribution of the polymer stress to the total shear stress. It shows that the polymer stress is significant only in the inner part of the boundary layer and the magnitude of the polymer stress is not always proportional to the drag reduction.