Friction Reduction and Heat Transfer Enhancement in a Plate Heat Exchanger

Experimental results of friction factor and heat transfer coefficient are presented for the flow of drag reducing polymer solution through a plate heat exchanger. Solutions of 30, 50 and 100 ppm Polyox WSR3Ol are found to produce substantial friction reduction in the plate exchanger {formula}. Contrary to the expected reduction in heat transfer rate, no effect was observed on the heat transfer coefficient. The previously observed enhancement of heat transfer rate using solutions of Separan AP30 were not reproduced with Polyox. This is attributed to the extreme sensitivity of Polyox to shear thermal and biological degradation.