SOLVENT EFFECTS ON THE RHEOLOGY OF AQUEOUS POLYACRYLAMIDE SOLUTIONS†

The influence of solvent chemistry on steady shear viscosity and first normal stress difference for aqueous polyacrylamide solutions (Separan AP-273) was investigated in the Weissenberg rheogoniometer and capillary tube viscometer. It was found that these rheological properties are particularly sensitive to the chemistry of the solvent. For example, the zero shear rate viscosity of a 1000 wppm Separan solution with distilled water as the solvent was greater than that with Chicago tap water as the solvent by a factor of 25, while the first normal force difference varied by a factor of two. The addition of an acid or a base to the Chicago tap water-Separan solution also influenced the zero shear rate viscosity and first normal force difference. It was found that there is an optimum pH of approximately 10 which yields a maximum value of the zero shear rate viscosity for the Separan-tap water solution.

Limited data on the influence of solvent chemistry were obtained for 5000 wppm aqueous solutions of polyethylene oxide (WSR-301) and reveal the same quantitative trends found for the polyacrylamide solutions although the magnitude of the observed changes are smaller.