An Experimental Investigation on Drag Reduction by a Combination of Polymer, Laurel Soap, and Palm Fiber Through Circulated Newtonian Liquid

Flowability and reduced pressure are some of the economic values in the pipe network and pipeline transportation. In this study, we investigated the functionality of self-made drag coefficients composed of a combination of large molecular weight polymer, Laurel soap, and date palm fiber which were induced into a circulated piping system under turbulent water flow. The proposed combination formulas are proved to be a new cost-effective drag reduction approach, which could be adopted extensively in fluid transportation at an industrial scale. The efficiency of using a mixture of polymer, palm fiber, and soap on the drag reduction was thoroughly evaluated by investigating several case studies. Using pure polyelectrolyte showed that at the highest polymer concentration (50 ppm), the percentage of drag reduction reaches 50% in 10.3 mm pipe diameter and 70% drag reduction in 13.5 mm pipe diameter at a flow of low Reynolds number counted 17166.7. After applying a mixture of polyelectrolytes (50 ppm) and fiber in the range (30-60 ppm), a drag reduction of 63% in 10.3 mm pipe diameter and 76% in 13.5 mm pipe diameter were achieved, respectively. Upon examining a mixture composed of polyelectrolyte (50 ppm) and soap in a range (50-150 ppm), the results showed that the highest drag reduction was achieved at a low concentration of soap and a bulk flow at a low Reynolds number. The aforementioned performance results were exemplified by attaining drag reductions of 70% in 10.3 mm pipe diameter and 96% in 13.5 mm pipe diameter, respectively. This is accomplished by optimizing the applied mixture formulas. Upon examining all cases, the estimated drag reductions were shown higher when applying the polymer mixture compared to that of pure polymer. However, a slight decrease in the attained drag reductions when using polymer soap was observed and attributed to the hindrance from the palm fiber, which ultimately reduces the chance for all soap particles to reach the stagnant wall layer.