Flow electrification phenomenon for newtonian and non-newtonian liquids: influence of liquid conductivity, viscosity and shear stress

The electrostatic charge generation that appears when hydrocarbons flow through pipes has been extensively studied over time. This phenomenon is very complex, and the charge generation depends on the nature of the liquid and solid involved in this process. This paper presents a study concerning the electrification phenomenon for different Newtonian and non-Newtonian liquids, with different conductivities and viscosities as well as for various pipe diameters. A detailed methodology, in order to reliably measure the streaming current, and to determine the space charge located at the wall when the double layer is fully developed (pw∞) and effective rate constant (physico-chemical reactions coefficient) (K) is also presented. It was observed that the streaming current increases with the electrical conductivity, and with the oils viscosity. The correlation between the shear stress and the flow electrification phenomenon at the solid/liquid interface is then analyzed.