Drag and Heat Transfer Reduction Phenomena of Drag-Reducing Surfactant Solutions in Straight and Helical Pipes

Abstract

Flow drag and heat transfer reduction phenomena of non-ionic aqueous surfactant solutions flowing in helical and straight pipes have been experimentally investigated at surfactant solution concentration range of 250-5000ppm and temperature range of 5-20°C. The helically coiled pipes have curvature ratios range of 0.018–0.045. Experimental findings indicate that the friction factors and the heat transfer coefficients of the surfactant solution in helical pipes are significantly higher than in a straight pipe and lower than Newtonian fluid flow like water through the same coils in the turbulent drag reduction region. Drag reduction and heat transfer reduction increase with an increase in surfactant solution concentration and temperature in the measured concentration and temperature ranges. On the other hand, they decrease with increasing of the curvature ratio. A set of empirical expressions for predicting the friction factor and the average Nusselt number for the surfactant solution’s flow through helical and straight pipes have been regressed based on the obtained data in the present experiments.

Drag reduction and degradation of nonionic surfactant solutions with organic acid in turbulent pipe flow

“…This is motivated by the leading study of Usui et al [41,39], who showed the effectiveness of the mixture of the nonionic surfactant solution and the sodium salicylate as drag-reducing additives, in which the available data were restricted and the degradation property remained an open question. The studies on the drag-reducing ability of the mixture of the amineoxide nonionic and betaine zwitterion surfactants have been also reported [3,7]. Broniarz-Press et al [5] reviewed that the mixed drag reducer system (polymer/ surfactant, surfactant/surfactant) caused an increase of the system stability and of the temperature range in which the additives were most effective.…”

Enhancing Heat Transfer of Drag-Reducing Surfactant Solution by an HEV Static Mixer with Low Pressure Drop

“…Other methods such as fluted tube heat exchanger [20], wire meshes [37], static mixers [12], and impinging jets [38] were aimed to temporarily break the wormlike micelles; they actually also disturbed the flow, but their relative contributions to enhanced heat transfer are not clear. To disturb the flow, still other methods employed were contracted channel [39], grooved tubes [40], wire coils [41], helical pipes [42], and vortex generators [43].…”

Numerical Study of Turbulent Flow and Convective Heat Transfer Characteristics in Helical Rectangular Ducts

“…It has been widely reported in literature that heat transfer rates in helical channels are higher as compared to that of straight ones [1]. Numerical or experimental studies on helical coiled channels with a circular cross section have been conducted.…”