EFFECT OF OIL PALM FIBER AS DRAG REDUCING ADDITIVES IN PIPELINES

Abstract

New data are presented on drag reduction using oil palm fiber waste as drag reducing additives in pipelines carrying fluid in turbulent mode. The abundant presence of oil palm fiber waste is utilized as drag reducing additives yielded up to 8% drag reduction (DR) in water flowing at Reynolds number from 90 000 to 100 000. The effect of concentration of fiber on drag reduction is studied and drag reduction is found to be the function of concentration of the fiber up to a saturation point. In maximum flow of 6.3 m3/hr, the optimum concentration of fiber was 80 ppm while at lower flow rate of 5.5 m3/hr, the optimum concentration was around 40 ppm. Varying the fluid velocity also is proven to affect the efficacy of fiber based drag reduction. Higher flow rate resulted in higher %DR (8%DR) as compared to lower flow rate (3.5%DR). In conclusion, the use of fiber as drag reducing additives in pipeline is not only effective but also environmentally friendly, cheap and is an assured supply.