Tunable viscosity modification with diluted particles: When particles decrease the viscosity of complex fluids

Manuchar Gvaramia; Gaetano Mangiapia; Vitaliy Pipich; Marie-Sousai Appavou; Gerhard Gompper; Sebastian Jaksch; Olaf Holderer; Marina D. Rukhadze; Henrich Frielinghaus

arXiv · 1709.05198

Tunable viscosity modification with diluted particles: When particles decrease the viscosity of complex fluids

Manuchar Gvaramia·Gaetano Mangiapia·Vitaliy Pipich·Marie-Sousai Appavou·Gerhard Gompper·Sebastian Jaksch·Olaf Holderer·Marina D. Rukhadze·Henrich Frielinghaus

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Abstract

While spherical particles are the most studied viscosity modifiers, they are well known only to increase viscosities, in particular at low concentrations. Extended studies and theories on non-spherical particles find a more complicated behavior, but still a steady increase. Involving platelets in combination with complex fluids displays an even more complex scenario that we analyze experimentally and theoretically as a function of platelet diameter, to find the underlying concepts. Using a broad toolbox of different techniques we were able to decrease the viscosity of crude oils although solid particles were added. This apparent contradiction could lead to a wider range of applications.

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Manuchar Gvaramia, Gaetano Mangiapia, Vitaliy Pipich, Marie-Sousai Appavou, Gerhard Gompper, Sebastian Jaksch, Olaf Holderer, Marina D. Rukhadze, Henrich Frielinghaus. 2017-09-15. Tunable viscosity modification with diluted particles: When particles decrease the viscosity of complex fluids. https://arxiv.org/abs/1709.05198

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