Polymer–surfactant complex formation and its effect on turbulent wall shear stress

Turbulent drag reduction in Couette flow was investigated in terms of a decrease in wall shear stress for aqueous solutions of a nonionic polymer, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), a cationic surfactant, hexadecyltrimethylammonium choride (HTAC), and their mixtures. Consistent with literature data, drag reduction was observed for PEO solutions above a critical molecular weight, 0.91×105

Drag reduction (DR) was investigated in aqueous solutions of poly(ethylene oxide), hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride, and their mixtures. This illustration displays maximum DR observed at HTAC concentration comparable to the maximum binding concentration.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide