Research progress of drag reduction by polymers in turbulent flow and its application

Author of the article:ZHANG Xin1, DAI Xiaodong 1, LIU Fei 1, LI Lei 1, XIN Yanping 1, LIU Kun 1, DU Yihua 1, YU Rui 2

Author's Workplace：1. College of Oil and Gas Engineering, Shandong Institute of Petroleum and Chemical Technology, Dongying, Shandong, 257061, China; 2. Dongying Junyuan Petroleum Technology Development Co., Ltd., Dongying, Shandong, 257000, China

Key Words：Drag reduction; Polymer; Degradation; Turbulent flow; Mechanism

Abstract：The phenomenon of drag reduction by polymers has been discovered more than 70 years ago, but many problems regarding this research area on polymer turbulent drag reduction and degradation have not been solved completely. To summarize the current progress of drag reduction and look forward to the future research direction by polymers in turbulent flow, this paper provides the summary from several aspects, i. e. development history, experimental research, numerical simulation, theoretical model and actual application. On this basis, this paper also points out several promising research areas regarding drag reduction by polymers, such as shear-resistant drag-reducing agent, drag reduction in multiphase turbulent flow and coupling polymer drag reduction with surface drag reduction.