Eventos Anais de eventos
ENCIT 2022
19th Brazilian Congress of Thermal Sciences and Engineering
DRAG REDUCTION EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS USING MUCILAGE EXTRACTED FROM OPUNTIA COCHENILLIFERA IN ROTATING GEOMETRY
Submission Author:
Kelvin Barbosa , ES
Co-Authors:
Kelvin Barbosa, Lucas Antônio Silveira Silva, Jordan Deambrosio Cussuol, Joao Vitor de Sousa Silva, Isabely Lira do Nascimento , Bruno Loureiro
Presenter: Lucas Antônio Silveira Silva
doi://10.26678/ABCM.ENCIT2022.CIT22-0284
Abstract
The drag reduction (DR) by the addition of high molecular weight polymers in turbulent flows is an important phenomenon which has been extensively studied by many researchers since its discovery. The application of these additives represents a great benefit in industrial processes. However, most polymers currently used as drag reducing agents are synthetic, which are non-biodegradable and have low resistance to turbulent shear forces. These facts encourage research in the pursuit of more resistant and biodegradable natural polymers to replace existing artificial ones. This paper proposes the use of mucilage extracted from Opuntia Cochenillifera as a drag reducer agent using a rotating cylindrical rheometer device. In addition, a method to extract the mucilage was developed and used for drag reduction tests at a temperature of 25 °C. The results indicate that the Opuntia Cochenillifera mucilage is a potential drag reducer, reaching a drag reduction of around 14% for a solution with concentration of 1000 ppm under the Reynolds number of 7500. Furthermore, the application of Opuntia Cochenillifera mucilage as a drag reducing agent presents several advantages compared to commercially polymers, such as: the low cost of extraction, production, and refining; its biodegradability and the easy access as a natural abundant raw material in Brazil.
Keywords
drag reduction, natural polymer, Rotating geometry, Opuntia cochenillifera
