Turbulent Drag Reduction of polyelectrolyte (DNA) solutions: relation with the elongational viscosity

We report measurements of turbulent drag reduction of two different polyelectrolyte solutions: DNA and hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide. Changing the salt concentration in the solutions allows us to change the flexibility of the polymer chains. For both polymers the amount of drag reduction was found to increase with the flexibility. Rheological studies reveal that the elongational viscosity of the solutions increases simultaneously. Hence we conclude that the elongational viscosity is the pertinent macroscopic quantity to describe the ability of a polymer to cause turbulent drag reduction.