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Turbulent flow of pseudoplastic polymer solutions in straight cylindrical tubes
Author(s) -
Shaver Robert G.,
Merrill Edward W.
Publication year - 1959
Publication title -
aiche journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1547-5905
pISSN - 0001-1541
DOI - 10.1002/aic.690050213
Subject(s) - shear thinning , laminar flow , turbulence , pressure drop , mechanics , polymer solution , tube (container) , materials science , chemistry , flow (mathematics) , volumetric flow rate , non newtonian fluid , newtonian fluid , rheology , thermodynamics , polymer , composite material , physics
Abstract Experimental studies are described concerning the fluid dynamics, particularly in the turbulent region, of dilute solutions of free‐draining, nonassociating, linear polymers; sodium carboxymethylcellulose, ammonium alginate, polyisobutylene, and carboxypolymethylene, all of which are pseudoplastic. These solutions were run in laminar, transition, and turbulent flow in a pipeline flow apparatus designed to permit measurement of dynamic pressure drop and impact pressure by radial traverse. Photographic studies with dye injection used at the tube wall and at the tube center showed that turbulent flow of these pseudoplastic fluids has the following characteristics compared to Newtonian fluids: poor over‐all radial mixing, thicker nonturbulent layer at the wall, and decreased rate of formation of horseshoe vortices at the wall.