Summary
An investigation of mixed nonionic surfactant systems was made to find conditions in which high molecular weight aggregates suitable for use as drag reducers would be formed. Viscosities of a series of mixtures of Brij 96 (C18H35-(OCH2-CH2)10-OH) and Brij 92 (C18H35-(OCH2-CH2)2OH) were measured at various temperatures to find conditions for maximum relative viscosity. It had been shown earlier that this is a convenient screening technique for finding solutions exhibiting high drag reduction. A 1% (90:10 by weight) mixture of Brij 96 and Brij 92 gave the highest relative viscosity, 6.9 at 46°C, just below the cloud point.
Addition of varying amounts of Na2SO4 or of phenol lowered the cloud points and gave maximum relative viscosities of 9.4 and 11.0 for 1% 90/10 mixtures at temperatures close to their cloud points. Cloud points can be adjusted to convenient temperatures by controlling the concentration of these additives. Light scattering measurements indicated molecular weights of the surfactant aggregates with sodium sulfate or phenol near their cloud points may be as high as 10 million or more.
Drag reduction results for a 1% 90:10 Brij 96/92 mixture with 0.5 Normal sodium sulfate showed that the greatest drag reduction occurred above the cloud point and no mechanical degradation was observed at wall shear stresses close to 2500 dynes/cm2.
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© 1985 Springer, Berlin Heidelberg
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Chang, R.C., Zakin, J.L. (1985). Drag Reduction of Non-Ionic Surfactant Mixtures. In: Gampert, B. (eds) The Influence of Polymer Additives on Velocity and Temperature Fields. International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-82632-0_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-82632-0_5
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