A general model for predicting drag reduction in crude oil pipelines

•We proposed a model for predicting drag reduction of crude oil.•A general model is obtained by considering various experimental parameters.•There is a good agreement between the developed model and experimental data.•The mean value of the overall percentage error was about 3.5.

In this study, by investigating various experimental parameters, a general model is proposed for predicting the phenomenon of drag reduction in crude oil pipelines. The proposed model employs a comprehensive analysis of various operation parameters such as oil flow rate and temperature, pipe diameter and roughness, various types of drag reducing agents (DRA) and concentration. The friction factor has been calculated using experimental data and the relevant model has been developed by considering the changes of f−1/2f−1/2 by Ref(1−n/2). The proposed model shows a good agreement with the experimental data.