REDUCTION OF DRAG IN TURBULENCE BY DILUTE POLYMER SOLUTIONS.
Abstract
The object of this thesis was to investigate the drag reduction phenomenon in turbulent flow caused by random coiling macromolecules in 'dilute' solution. In particular, this thesis was concerned with the relationship of drag (or its reduction) to the size of the coils and their concentration, of two kinds of polymers differing significantly in chain flexibility: polyethylene oxide (PEO), the more flexible, and polyisobutylene (PIB), the less flexible. It was found that, within any given homologous polymer series, the ability of macromolecules to reduce drag improved drastically with increasing molecular weight. That is, the concentration of polymers in solution either in the absolute weight fraction or in the effective volume fraction required to yield a given percent drag reduction decreased rapidly with increasing molecular weight. It was further found that there always existed an optimum concentration for any given polymer system at which the observed drag reduction reached a maximum.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1965
- Accession Number
- AD0619711
Entities
People
- Hyunhook Shin
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology