Friction and Heat Transfer Measurements for Clay Suspensions With Polymer Additives

Local heat transfer and friction coefficients were measured in a circular tube for suspensions of bentonite and for a combination of bentonite and polyacrylamide in water. Both the entrance and fully-developed regions were examined in laminar and turbulent regimes. A viscosity model based on rheological measurements makes it possible to represent the results obtained for the pure suspensions with newtonian relationships. The fluid combining clay and polymer, however, exhibited characteristics typical of viscoelastic solutions and was observed to display an unexpectedly high sensitivity to mechanical degradation.