To Determine the Efficiency of Polyacrylamide and PVP as Drag Reducing Agent in Water Flow System

Waterflooding is classified as secondary recovery yields a second batch of oil after a
field was depleted by primary production. Working on a water-oil immiscibility concept,
the water from injection wells will physically sweep the displaced oil to adjacent
production wells. However, due to unforeseen factors, the injection performance may
differ from the initially designed injectivity. This research introduces polyacrylamide
(PAM) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as the drag reducing agent in water flow system.
Considering fluid mechanics and polymer studies as the scopes of study that are
interrelating, this study aims to perform an experimental analysis to determine the
efficiency of polyacrylamide (PAM) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as drag reducing
agent by manipulating the Reynolds number, polymer concentration, and polymer
degradation as the variable parameters. The experimental works start by pumping water
from a storage tank and the injection point outlet is opened to introduce the polymer into
the flow. The mixture was then allowed to flow through a 4-m galvanized pipe to the
outlet and the pressure was observed using an analogue pressure gauge installed at the
end of the test flow section. The results show that polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) gives the
most significant drag reduction percentage. An increased drag reduction percentage was
also observed at an increased Reynolds number and polymer concentrations but
however, polymer degradation results in a decreased efficiency of drag reduction
especially for polyacrylamide (PAM). This study may contnbute to an improved water
flow system especially for injection wells using polymer-type of drag reducing agent by
increasing the injection capacity thus enhancing the efficiency of the designed
waterflood system.