Abstract

In this study, iron solid particle’s role as a drag reducing agent was investigated. The experimental procedure was divided into two parts; to study the effect of iron particle addition on the turbulent multiphase flow, where iron concentration and particle size served as testing variables. Testing the drag reduction ability of the iron particles was done in a closed loop water circulation system. The other part was to investigate the influence of magnetic field on the turbulent flow behavior in pipelines. The results showed that the drag reduction is more superior at smaller particle sizes and higher particle concentration. The maximum drag reduction recorded was 46% during the addition 500 ppm of 45 µm iron particle at Reynolds number (Re) equal to 62586. It also showed that the presence of turbulence can be reduced under the influence of magnetic field; stronger magnetic field enhanced the effectiveness of drag reduction. However, the effect of magnetic field on the flow decreases as Re increases.

Key words: Drag reduction, suspended solids, magnetic field, pressure drop, turbulent flow.