본 연구에서는 낙구식 점도계를 이용하여 낮은 농도의 용액을 실험할 때 종말 속도측정의 어려움을 해결하기 위하여 레이저와 특수 타이머를 설치하였으며 정확한 특성시간을 결정하기 위하여 실린더 내부의 시험유체를 교란시키지 않고, 떨어뜨린 구 를 회수하는 장치를 제작하였다. 또한 주로 rheogoniometer에 의존하던 영 전단률 점성계수를 측정하기 위하여 속이 빈 알루미늄 구(hollow aluminium ball)의 밀도를 시험 유체와 거의 같은 정도까지 변화시켜가며 종말 속도를 측정하였으며 점탄성 유체 로써 Separan AP-273의 낮은 농도인 300에서 2000wppm까지의 저농도 용액에 대한 특성 시간을 여러모델에 의하여 실험적으로 결정하고 저농도 폴리머 용액에서 퇴화로 인한 점탄성유체의 특성 변화를 분석하였다.
Characteristic relaxation time and characteristic diffusion time of viscoelastic fluids are determined experimentally by measuring the zero-shear-rate viscosity by falling ball viscometer and the infinite-shear-rate viscosity by capillary tube viscometer. Fluids used in experiments are aqueous solutions of polyacrylamide Separan AP-273 and the polymer concentrations range from 300 to 2000 wppm. A newly designed laser beam and timer system is employed to overcome the difficulty in measuring terminal velocities of the low concentration solutions. Ball removal device is prepared to remove the dropped ball from the bottom of cylinder without disturbing the testing fluid. In order to measure the zero-shear-rate viscosity, densities of hollow aluminium balls are adjusted very close to the densities of testing fluids. Characteristic diffusion time, which is ball viscometer. However, terminal velocity of a needle by falling ball viscometer is not affected by the time interval of dropping needles and characteristic diffusion time is not measured with a dropping needle. Powell-Eyring model predicts the highest values of the characteristic relaxation times among models used for heat transfer experimental works for a given polymer solution. As degradation of a polymer solution continues, the zero-shear-rate viscosity decreases more seriously than the infinite-shear-rate viscosity. Characteristic relaxation times of polymer solutions decreases as degradation continues.
