On pipe diameter effects in surfactant drag-reducing pipe flows

Remarkable power saving in a fluid transport system is possible if the surfactant drag reduction technology is used. Application of surfactant drag reduction to district heating and cooling systems has been investigated in the past. The establishment of the scale-up law in drag-reducing pipe flows is one of the most important problems in this application. Main purpose of this study is aimed to develop a reliable scale-up law in surfactant drag-reducing flows. As the basic data of surfactant solutions, both non-Newtonian viscosity and viscoelasticity were experimentally determined. A turbulent eddy diffusivity model based on the Maxwell model was employed to estimate the drag reduction of surfactant solutions. The predictions by the turbulence model developed in this study with proper rheological characteristics of surfactant solutions has resulted in a reliable estimation of the pipe diameter effect in surfactant drag-reducing flows over the pipe diameter range from 11 to 150mm.