Effect of guar gum and salt concentrations on drag reduction and shear degradation properties of turbulent flow of water in a pipe

Abstract

Concentrated solutions of guar gum in water (1000–3000ppm) with and without KCl salt (1000–4000ppm) were injected near the wall for a short period (2.5min) to investigate their effect on drag reduction in turbulent flow of water through a pipe (Re≈17000–45000). Relative to bulk solution, the concentrations of polymer and salt were 50–150ppm and 50–200ppm, respectively. A drag reduction of 71.45% was observed for 3000ppm of biopolymer without salt. Guar gum experienced mechanical degradation under high shear conditions and addition of KCl improved shear stability up to 47% (for Re≈45000). A polymer concentration of 3000ppm and salt concentration of 2000ppm in the injection fluid were found to be optimum for achieving the highest drag reduction with better shear stability. Results indicated that boundary layer injection shows better drag reduction ability than pre-mixed solutions.