Effect of drag reducing polymer on air–water annular flow in an inclined pipe

Drag reduction (DR) for air and water flowing in an inclined 0.0127 m diameter pipe was investigated experimentally. The fluids had an annular configuration and the pipe is inclined upward. The injection of drag reducing polymer (DRP) solution produced drag reductions as high as 71% with concentration of 100 ppm in the pipeline. A maximum drag reduction that is accompanied (in most cases) by a change to a stratified or annular-stratified pattern. The drag reduction is sensitive to the gas and liquid superficial velocities and the pipe inclination. Maximum drag reduction was achieved in the case of pipe inclination of 1.28° at the lowest superficial gas velocity and the highest superficial liquid velocity. For the first time in literature, the drag reduction variations with the square root of the superficial velocities ration for flows with the same final flow patterns have self-similar behaviors.