Drag Reducing Polymers in Vascular System: Viscosity Measurement and Polymers Types and Concentrations

Toms (1949) discovered that if a very small amount of drag reducing polymers (DRP) are added in the flow, approximately 10 ppm by weight or less, a substancial reduction in pressure drop at a given flow rate resulted. Then, since 1948, the phenomenon of drag reduction have been studied by many researchers with the objective of understand the drag reduction mechanism. In the last decades, the drag reducing polymers have been applied in vascular system for different pathologies, such as: atherosclerotics plaques, diabetes, hypertension among others. For analysis of this phenomena it is necessary to know the polymer viscosity and also the type and concentration of these polymers. In this study, the measurement is done with different concentrations. The polymers used is polyacrylamide, with concentrations in the range of 5 to 100 ppm. The Ostwald and Couette viscosimeter were used for the measurement of the polymeric solutions viscosity and also to verify the Newtonian fluid conditions of these polimeric solutions . The defined polymeric solutions will be used to simulate, in vitro, drag reduction in blood flow through stenosed large arteries.