Enhancement of PEO performance in reducing turbulent flow drag with the addition of SDBS anionic surfactant
Abstract
Polyethylene Oxide (PEO) is a non-ionic polymer, which has been used widely as a drag reduction (DR) agent. Nevertheless, its ability to reduce drag in turbulent flow is yet limited. Thus, in this paper, a study to improve the ability of PEO to reduce drag in a turbulent flow through
addition of an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS)) is presented. The Various concentration ranges of PEO (10, 20, 40, and 60 ppm) and SDBS (100, 200, 400, and 500 ppm) were studied. The physical properties, viscosity, and electrical conductivity were measured to evaluate the interaction in a complex solution. The electrical conductivity measurements confirmed that the interaction between the polymer-surfactant solutions takes place between the CAC-PSP
points. The drag reduction measurements were done using a rotating disk apparatus (RDA). The RDA results showed substantial findings when the anionic surfactant-polymer solution was compared to the pure polymer solution. The interaction between the polymer and the surfactant results in transforming the polymer from coil to straight-like body, which enhanced the polymer drag reduction ability. The PEO-SDBS solution showed the highest DR of 50 %, at a mixture concentration of 60 ppm of PEO with 200 ppm of SDBS. Nonetheless, at higher concentrations, the DR value dropped due to the increase in the relative viscosity of the solution, which enhanced the resistance to the flow.
References
Al-Yaari, M., Soleimani, A., Abu-Sharkh, B., Al-Mubaiyedh, U. & Al-Sarkhi, A. 2009. Effect of drag
reducing polymers on oil–water flow in a horizontal pipe. International Journal of Multiphase Flow,
(6): 516- 524.
Abdulbari H. A., Basheer E. A., Shabrin A., & Mahmood W. K. 2015. Investigating the Degradation
Resistance Improvement of Polymer Surfactant Complex Drag Reducing Agent. InApplied Mechanics
and Materials 789:7 -14. Trans Tech Publications.
Bai, G., Nichifor, M. & Bastos, M. 2010. Cationic Polyelectrolytes as Drug Delivery Vectors: Calorimetric and
Fluorescence Study of Rutin Partitioning†. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 114(49): 16236 -16243.
Brostow, W., Lobland, H. H., Pal, S. & Singh, R. P. 2009. Polymeric flocculants for wastewater and
industrial effluent treatment. Journal of Materials Education, 31(3 -4): 157- 166.
Burger, E. D., Munk, W. R. & Wahl, H. A. 1982. Flow increase in the Trans Alaska Pipeline through use of
a polymeric drag-reducing additive. Journal of Petroleum Technology, 34(02): 377 -386.
Choi, H. J. & Jhon, M. S. 1996. Polymer-induced turbulent drag reduction. Industrial & engineering
chemistry research, 35(9): 2993 -2998.
Figueredo, R. & Sabadini, E. 2003. Firefighting foam stability: the effect of the drag reducer poly (ethylene)
oxide. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 215(1): 77- 86.
Holm, E., Schultz, M., Haslbeck, E., Talbott, W. & Field, A. 2004. Evaluation of hydrodynamic drag on
experimental fouling-release surfaces, using rotating disks. Biofouling, 20(4 -5): 219 -226.
Hou, Z., Li, Z. & Wang, H. 1999. Interaction of sodium dodecylbenezene sulfonate with polymer as studied
by surface tension, ESR and UV-vis spectroscopy. Journal of dispersion science and technology, 20(5):
- 1516.
Karami, H. & Mowla, D. 2012. Investigation of the effects of various parameters on pressure drop reduction
in crude oil pipelines by drag reducing agents. Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics, 177: 37- 45.
Khalil, M., Kassab, S., Elmiligui, A. & Naoum, F. 2002. Applications of drag-reducing polymers in
sprinkler irrigation systems: Sprinkler head performance. Journal of irrigation and Drainage Engineering,
(3): 147 -152.
Le Brun, N., Zadrazil, I., Norman, L., Bismarck, A. & Markides, C. N. 2016. On the drag reduction effect
and shear stability of improved acrylamide copolymers for enhanced hydraulic fracturing. Chemical
Engineering Science, 146: 135 -143.
Lee, K.-H., Zhang, K. & Choi, H. J. 2010. Time dependence of turbulent drag reduction efficiency of
polyisobutylene in kerosene. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 16(4): 499- 502.
Li, C.-F., Sureshkumar, R. & Khomami, B. 2006. Influence of rheological parameters on polymer induced
turbulent drag reduction. Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics, 140(1): 23 -40.
Li, F.-C., Kawaguchi, Y., Yu, B., Wei, J.-J. & Hishida, K. 2008. Experimental study of drag-reduction
mechanism for a dilute surfactant solution flow. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer,
(3): 835- 843.
Matras, Z. & Kopiczak, B. 2014. Influence of polymer-surfactant additives on pressure drops in pipe flow.
Proceedings of the 20th International Conference Process Engineering and Chemical Plant Design,
Berlin, Germany.
Matras, Z. & Kopiczak, B. 2015. Intensification of drag reduction effect by simultaneous addition of
surfactant and high molecular polymer into the solvent. Chemical Engineering Research and Design,
: 35 -42.
Mohsenipour, A. A. & Pal, R. 2013a. The role of surfactants in mechanical degradation of drag-reducing
polymers. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 52(3): 1291- 1302.
Mohsenipour, A. A. & Pal, R. 2013b. Synergistic effects of anionic surfactant and nonionic polymer
additives on drag reduction. Chemical Engineering Communications, 200(7): 935- 958.
Müller, A. J., Garcés, Y., Torres, M., Scharifker, B. & Sáez, A. E. 2003. Interactions between highmolecular-
weight poly (ethylene oxide) and sodium dodecyl sulfate. In Aqueous Polymer—Cosolute
Systems. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 122: 73- 81.
Nagarajan, R. 1989. Association of nonionic polymers with micelles, bilayers, and microemulsions. The
Journal of Chemical Physics, 90(3): 1980- 1994.
Ravelet, F., Bakir, F., Khelladi, S. & Rey, R. 2013. Experimental study of hydraulic transport of large
particles in horizontal pipes. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 45: 187- 197.
Stoll, M., Al-Harthy, S., Van Wunnik, J. & Faber, M. 2011. Alkaline-surfactant-polymer Flood–From the
Laboratory to the Field. IOR 201116-th European Symposium on Improved Oil Recovery. Cambridge,
United Kingdom.
Torres, M. F., Müller, A. J., Szidarovszky, M. A. & Sáez, A. E. 2008. Shear and extensional rheology of
solutions of mixtures of poly (ethylene oxide) and anionic surfactants in ionic environments. Journal of
colloid and interface science, 326(1): 254 -260.
Wei, J., Kawaguchi, Y., Li, F., Yu, B., Zakin, J., Hart, D. & Zhang, Y. 2009. Drag-reducing and heat
transfer characteristics of a novel zwitterionic surfactant solution. International Journal of Heat and Mass
Transfer, 52(15): 3547- 3554.
White, C., Somandepalli, V. & Mungal, M. 2004. The turbulence structure of drag-reduced boundary layer
flow. Experiments in fluids, 36(1): 62 -69.
Yusuf, N., Al-Wahaibi, T., Al-Wahaibi, Y., Al-Ajmi, A., Al-Hashmi, A., Olawale, A. & Mohammed, I.
Experimental study on the effect of drag reducing polymer on flow patterns and drag reduction in a
horizontal oil–water flow. International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow, 37: 74 -80.
Zhang, K., Choi, H. J. & Jang, C. H. 2011a. Turbulent drag reduction characteristics of poly (acrylamideco-
acrylic acid) in a rotating disk apparatus. Colloid and Polymer Science, 289(17 -18): 1821- 1827.
Zhang, X., Taylor, D., Thomas, R. & Penfold, J. 2011b. The role of electrolyte and polyelectrolyte on the
adsorption of the anionic surfactant, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, at the air–water interface. Journal
of colloid and interface science, 356(2): 656- 664.
