Technical gazette, Vol. 28 No. 2, 2021.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.17559/TV-20190712015659
Shearing and Mixing Performance of Ultrahigh-Molecular-Weight Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide (HPAM) Solution in a Helixes Static Mixer
Da-xing Sun
; State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, NO. 92 West Dazhi St., Nangang District,Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
Wu-yi Wang
; State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, NO. 92 West Dazhi St., Nangang District,Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
Ya-feng Ju
Wen-ping Song*
; State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, NO. 92 West Dazhi St., Nangang District,Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
Yi-qing Li
; State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, NO. 92 West Dazhi St., Nangang District,Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
Long-qiu Li*
; 1. State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, NO. 92 West Dazhi St., Nangang District,Harbin, Heilongjiang, China. 2. State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Tsinghua University.NO. 30 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Peking, China
Abstract
Static mixers have been widely used to dilute high viscosity, high-molecular-weight polymer mother liquor for polymer flooding, in which the mixing performance plays a critical role. In this work, a novel mixing configuration, named as Helixes static mixer, was proposed to reduce high viscosity degradation rate of polyacrylamide solution resulting from mechanical shear during mixing process. Computational fluid dynamics simulations along with experiments were performed to investigate the mixing process. Several criteria such as the intensity of segregation, mixing distance, pressure loss, and shear strain rate were used to evaluate the mixing and shear performance of static mixers. Compared to the SMX and Kenics static mixer, a longer mixing distance is needed for the Helixes static mixer to achieve an ideal mixture. A lower shear strain rate along with less viscosity degradation rate is obtained in flow field of Helixes static mixer. The spiral-lead and helical directions of mixing elements were optimized to improve mixing performance. Experimental results are in good agreement with the numerical simulations on the intensity of segregation. The viscosity degradation rate of HPAM solution which flows through Helixes static mixer is lower than that of SMX and Kenics static mixers.
Keywords
mixing performance; polymer flooding; shear strain rate; static mixer; viscosity degradation
Hrčak ID:
255813
URI
Publication date:
17.4.2021.
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