Enhancing shear resistance in ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyolefin drag-reducing agents via siloxane bond integration

Shiyi Lv, Fei Yang, Zhenhua Yu, Chuanxian Li, Guangyu Sun, Yongxiang Sun, Hongbo Zeng, Xinyuan Li and Bo Yao

Energy, 2025, vol. 320, issue C

Abstract: In the field of refined oil transportation, ultrahigh-molecular-weight poly-α-olefin (PO) polymers are among the most effective and widely used drag-reducing agents (DRA). However, PO are prone to degradation under pump-induced shear forces, leading to a decline in drag reduction efficiency. This study presents a novel approach by copolymerizing silicon-based materials with olefins to enhance shear resistance. These composites demonstrated significant improvements in rheological and mechanical performance, with tensile strength increasing up to 11.8 times and toughness by 6.65 times. When added to refined oil, the PO/VSO drag-reducing agent exhibited a 92.26 % improvement in maximum drag reduction efficiency after a single shear test, highlighting a substantial enhancement in shear resistance. Quantum chemical calculations showed an increase in bond dissociation energy (BDE), with PO/PVS reaching 366.32 kJ mol–1, indicating that silicon-oxygen bonding enhances the chemical stability of the DRAs. This research provides key insights for the developing shear-resistant DRAs for efficient refined oil transportation.

Keywords: Polyolefin copolymer; Silicon-oxygen bond; Drag reduction; Pipeline transportation; Energy efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:320:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225009235

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.135281

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