Substantial drag reduction in turbulent flow using liquid-infused surfaces

Abstract: Experiments are presented that demonstrate how liquid-infused surfaces can reduce turbulent drag significantly in Taylor-Couette flow. The test liquid was water, and the test surface was composed of square microscopic grooves measuring 100 $\mu$m to 800 $\mu$m, filled with alkane liquids with viscosities from 0.3 to 1.4 times that of water. We achieve drag reduction exceeding 35\%, four times higher than previously reported for liquid-infused surfaces in turbulent flow. The level of drag reduction increased with viscosity ratio, groove width, fluid area fraction, and Reynolds number. The optimum groove width was given by $w^+ \approx 35$.