Experimental study of the effect of drag reducing agent on heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics

The effect of the addition of polymeric drag reducing agent on water flow heat transfer and pressure drop was studied experimentally. Polyacrylamide (PAM) aqueous solutions at different concentrations (up to 100 ppm) at fully developed turbulent flow were used in a double tube heat exchanger. In contrast to previous studies, drag reduction due to using PAM was negligible. The addition of PAM, even at low concentrations, caused significant reduction in heat transfer. Results showed that increasing PAM concentration lowered the amount of heat transfer. Maximum heat transfer reduction of 25% occurred at the concentration of 100 ppm for PAM aqueous solution.