Drag reducing agents assist in lessening the frictional pressure within the course of a pipeline or conduit. Behaving as buffers besides the pipe wall, DRAs are high molecular weight polymers that reduce the amount of energy strayed in a turbulent flow. The drag reducing agent market size is expanding as DRAs sanction operators to escalate pipeline yield while using a similar amount of energy, in some situations, less. They are also utilized to reduce the pressure drop at a wish-for fluid flow rate. Appropriate for both crude oil and strained fuel applications, DRAs can assist clear the pipeline systems without costly equipment improvisations. They also lessen energy intake by decreasing drag within the pipeline, lessen functioning pressures without abandoning pipeline potential, and circumvent extra costs by terminating both midway pump stations and the requirement for extra pipeline framework to escalate capacity.
The global drag reducing agent market was valued at USD 638.34 million in 2022 and is expected to grow at USD 1,109.10 million with a CAGR of 5.7% during the forecast period 2032.
Types of Drag Reducing Agents
- Polymeric drag reducers: Polymers are successful drag reducers due to their capacity to defeat the configuration of turmoil eddies at low clusters. DR could be attained utilizing polymer additives and culminated that varied polymers could set out as successful gas reducers. Polymers must outdo a minimum chain size for successful DR to take place. Drag reducing polymers are usually long-chain, high molecular weight polymers such as polyethene oxide (PEO) and polyacrylamide (PAA).
- Solid particle suspension as drag reducers: The drag reduction prompted by the inclusion of suspended solid matter has been the object of the study since the commencement of the last century. Suspensions might be of two varied types, namely granular or roughly spherical particles and fibers. The drag reducing agent market sales are soaring as suspensions of solids are leading over the polymers for two reasons, namely, the solid matter can be affixed and detached from flowing liquid with abundant simplification, and they undergo no mechanical abasement in most cases, barring a few.
Why are Drag Reducing Agents Required?
A friction reducer is one of the principal constituents of slickwater fracture fluids and alternate inducement fluids. The principal role of friction reducers is interchanging explosive flow to laminar flow, lessening frictional loss in the course of pushing fracturing fluids up to eighty percent. High-viscosity friction reducers manifest several benefits, such as offering pipe friction reduction in the course of fracturing cures, escalated retrieval potential juxtaposed to linear and crosslinked gels, and lesser operational costs.
Growth Drivers
Drag reducing agents lessens frictional pressure loss in the course of fluid flow in conduit or pipeline. Lessening the quantity of unstable motion in the flow lessens pressure loss. By engaging DRA, it is probable to escalate flow and utilize the same quantity of energy or to lessen pressure drop while sustaining the same estimate of fluid flow in pipes. In petroleum production systems, escalating flow potential and pumping rates is strenuous due to drag or frictionless losses. In order to lessen drag and improvise fluid’s potential to flow or pump at rates required to reach the appropriate flow rate and enhance transportation coherence, DRAs are typically added to the fuel.
Recent Developments
In October 2022, Infinum & Entegris agreed to acquire the pipeline and industrial materials division of Infinum by Entegris. It is part of specialty chemicals and engineered materials that include a wide range of drag-reducing agents for pipeline operations.
Final Thoughts
Recent research concentrates on the usage of polymer additives as DRAs, the universal expressions of additives, prominent issues, including the usage of drag reducing polymers, and its possible applications. In the drag reducing agent market, in spite of substantial works of drag-reduction polymers, there are yet no models that precisely elucidate the mechanism of drag reduction.