Análise da redução de arrasto em escoamento interno com o uso de extrato de Aloe vera

Abstract

Natural polymers become a good alternative to replace synthetic polymers as Drag Reducers, especially in the health field, because they are more resistant, biodegradable and non-toxic. Despite this, their behavior before the reduction effect lacks information, as there are still few studies related to them. The present research aims to analyze the drag reduction in internal flow with the use of Aloe vera extract. The methodology of the work consisted of measuring the pressure differential between two points of length on the test bench, composed of a rigid PVC pipe, in order to analyze the drag reduction of solutions containing Aloe vera Extract at concentrations of 8000 ppm, 10000 ppm and 12000 ppm, for each group of foliage size, that is, young and mature. In each solution, the pressure differential was analyzed for 120 seconds, recording every 30 seconds, totaling 5 measurements. The density, viscosity of the solutions and the Reynolds number were also determined. In addition, the behavior of the fluids was analyzed when subjected to variable shear stresses. It was found that the percentage of drag reduction increases with increasing polymer concentration and that this percentage decreases over time due to polymer degradation. The solutions studied showed a pseudoplastic behavior, i.e., the viscosity decreased with the application of a strain rate.