ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENSS OF BIOPOLYMER SYNTHESIZED FROM COCONUT HUSKS AS DRAG REDUCING AGENT IN WATER INJECTION SYSTEM

Drag reducing agents (DRA) are chemical agents used to reduce the pressure drop in a turbulence fluid of fluid inside a pipe, in this case the pressure drop of injection water inside the water injection pipelines from the surface facilities to the reservoir. In this research, biopolymer which derived from coconut husks effectiveness as drag reducing agent in water injection systems is assessed. The biopolymer which is Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) was synthesized from the coconut husks cellulose by alkali-catalyzed reaction of cellulose with chloroacetic acid. The synthesized CMC effectiveness as DRA is assessed by determining the viscosity, density, pressure drop reduction and flow rate with different concentration of DRA solution. Based on the conducted experiment, viscosity and density of the DRA solution increases as the concentration of DRA solution also increases. The flow rate and pressure reduction experiment using flow loop shows that increment in the DRA solution concentration increase the pressure drop reduction. The concentration of the DRA solution however are limited to 2000ppm concentration. It is concluded that although the viscosity and density of the solution increases as the concentration of the DRA solution increases, the ability of the DRA to reduce pressure drop is uninterrupted.