Drag Reducing Agent - How IT Works

How It Works

Using just a few parts per million of the drag reducer helps to reduce the turbulence inside the pipe. Because the oil pushes up against the inside wall of the pipe, the pipe pushes the oil back down causing a swirling of turbulence to occur. When the polymer is added, it interacts with the oil and the wall to help reduce the contact of the oil with the wall.

Degradation can occur on the polymers during the flow. Because of the pressure and temperature on the polymers, it is easier to break them down. Because of this, the drag reducing agent is rejected after things like pumps and turns, where the pressure and temperature can be extra high.

Knowing what will create the ideal drag reducer is key in this process. Ideal molecules have a high molecular weight, shear degradation resistance, are quick to dissolve in whatever is in the pipe, and have low degradation in heat, light, chemicals, and biological areas.

With drag reduction, there are many factors which play a role in how well the drag is reduced. A main factor in this is temperature. With a higher temperature, the drag reducing agent is easier to degrade. At a low temperature the drag reducing agent will tend to cluster together. This problem can be solved easier than degradation though, by adding another chemical, such as aluminum to help lower the drag reducing agent's attraction to one another. Another factor is the pipe diameter. With a decreasing pipe diameter, the drag reduction is increased. Going along with this, the roughness of the inside of the pipe has a factor. The rougher the inside, the higher the percent drag reduction occurring. Increasing the pressure in a pipe will help with drag reduction as well, but often that pressure is greater than what the pipe can withstand.