Determining the Flow Characteristics of a Power Law Liquid
Resumo
A simple experiment was set up to demonstrate the shear thinning (pseudoplastic) flow characteristics of a non-Newtonian liquid. The apparent viscosity vs. shear rate curve was obtained for a 0.07% (by weight) of a solution of Na-CMC (sodium salt of carboxymethyl cellulose) in water. The solution was drained from a tank through a vertical capillary tube of different diameters and lengths. Data on the height of the solution vs. time was used to estimate the viscosity and the shear rate. Data obtained over an extended range of shear rates (300-6000 s-1) from the experimental set-up were analyzed using simple equations based on the power-law model characterizing such liquids.