Abstract
TOMS1 has shown that in turbulent flow above the critical Reynolds number the drag is substantially reduced by adding a small amount of high polymer solute to the liquid2–14. In some cases, there is also a remarkable shift of the onset of turbulence to higher Reynolds number15,16 with a corresponding reduction of drag. Typical drag reductions of over 50 per cent have been achieved in pipes, on immersed moving bodies and on ship hulls by the addition of 20 p.p.m. by weight of ‘Polyox WSR 301’, which is an unbranched polyethylene oxide of approximate molecular weight 4 × 106. Larger doses of polymer solute produce little additional effect. A minor effect of this type—about 4 per cent drag reduction—can also be achieved by the addition of a relatively large amount of very fine sand17–19.
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PETERLIN, A. Molecular Model of Drag Reduction by Polymer Solutes. Nature 227, 598–599 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1038/227598b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/227598b0
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