RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF VACUUM GAS OIL – POLYPROPYLENE BLENDS SYSTEM

Chemical

Abstract

The present work is concerned with study of the flow behavior of poly propylene (PP) and Vacuum Gas Oil (VGO) blends. Viscosimetry measurements of the blends with different polymer weight fractions between 0 and 10 wt%., temperatures between 391 K and 491 K at shear rates up to 1000 S-1 were performed. These blends were shown to have peculiar flow behavior exhibiting Newtonian fluid flow property at higher temperatures and lower polymer concentrations, while at lower temperatures and at higher polymer concentrations, showing non-Newtonian shear thinning or pseudo-plastic behavior. These properties have been shown to be more pronounced at lower shear rates than at higher shear rates. The application of Ostwald-De Waele power law model for the prediction of the viscosity under different operating conditions of shear rates, temperature and base components weight fractions has been given a good fit for the experimental viscosimetry data.