Measurement of the viscosity of guar gum solutions to 50,000 s⁻¹ using a parallel plate rheometer

It is frequently necessary to measure the viscosity of polymer solutions at high shear rates to obtain data under the conditions encountered in industrial processes. Such measurements are most often made on a capillary viscometer. This paper presents a method of determining solution viscosities at shear rates up to 50,000 s⁻¹ in a rotational rheometer using a parallel plate geometry. The two keys to performing these measurements are very small gaps between the parallel plates (on the order of 50 microns) to eliminate inertial secondary flows, and the ability to increase and decrease the shear rate quickly to minimize viscous heating. A technique for setting and measuring small gaps is presented. Possible sources of error including inertia, axial compliance, and viscous heating are analyzed. A comparison Is made between the viscosity of a 0.7 percent hydroxypropyl guar (HPG) solution measured on the parallel plate rheometer and the viscosity measured in a capillary viscometer. Viscosities of HPG solutions having concentrations of 0.25, 0.50, 1.00, and 1.45 percent are presented over the shear rate range 100 to 50,000 s⁻¹.