Review of Approaches to the Study of Turbulence Modification by Means of Non-Newtonian Additives

摘要

The addition of small amounts of polymers to Newtonian liquids under conditions of turbulent flow results in substantial reduction of skin friction. This phenomenon has been observed experimentally. It can be attributed to the unusual behavior of dilute polymer solutions in turbulent flows. A condensed review of topics relevent to theoretical study of drag reduction by non-Newtonian additives is presented. In addition, the techniques and results of experimental investigations of this phenomenon are examined. It is proposed that dilute solutions of polymers or surfactants can be rheologically characterized by measuring the secondary flow characteristics that occur in the neighborhood of an oscillating cylinder. Plans for conducting these measurements are presented.