Drag reduction in co-current down flow packed column using xanthan gum

Abstract−Drag reduction is one of the most important techniques for reducing energy consumption in a packed bed
contactor. The present work involves an experimental investigation on flow regime transition for air-water system with
and without drag reducing agent (DRA), two-phase pressure drop, friction factor and drag reduction using xanthan
gum as DRA. Drag reduction was quantified from the two-phase pressure drop data. Based on the present observations
it was found that the percentage drag reduction increases with an increase in the concentration of DRA and it is only
effective in the range of 300 ppm to 800 ppm. The experimental results indicate that a maximum of 80% drag reduction
was achievable using xanthan gum (800 ppm) as DRA. Furthermore, the experimental data were validated with the
available literature correlations.