Pressure drop calculation for fly ash slurry using rheological model

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to the transportation of high concentration slurry through pipelines that will require thorough understanding of physical and rheological properties of slurry, as well as its hydraulic flow behavior. In spite of several contributions by the previous researchers, there is still a need to enrich the current understanding of hydraulic conveying through pipeline at various flow parameters. The pilot plant loop tests, particularly at high concentrations, are tedious, time-consuming and complex in nature. Therefore, in the current research the prediction methodology for slurry pipeline design based on rheological model of the slurry is used for calculation of pressure drop and other design parameters.

Design/methodology/approach

It has been established that slurry rheology plays important role in the prediction of pressure drop for laminar and turbulent flow of commercial slurries through pipeline. In the current research fly ash slurry at high concentration is chosen for rheological analysis. The effect of particle size and solid concentration is experimentally tested over the rheological behavior of slurry and based on the rheological data a correlation is developed for calculation of pressure drop in slurry pipeline.

Findings

The present study strongly supports the analytical approach of pressure drop prediction based on the rheological parameters obtained from the bench scale tests. The rheological properties are strongly influenced by particle size distribution (PSD), shear rate and solid mass concentration of the slurry samples. Pressure drop along the pipeline is highly influenced by flow velocity and solid concentration. The presence of coarser particles in the slurry samples also leads to high pressure drop along the pipeline. As the concentration of solid increase the shear stress and shear viscosity increase cause higher pressure drop.

Research limitations/implications

The transportation of slurry in the pipeline is very complex as there are lot of factors that affect the flow behavior of slurry in pipelines. From the vast study of literature it is found that flow behavior of slurry changes with the change in parameters such as solids concentration, flow velocity, PSD, chemical additives and so on. Therefore, the accurate prediction of hydraulic parameter is very difficult. Different slurry samples behave differently depending upon their physical and rheological characteristics. So it is required to study each slurry samples individually that is time-consuming and costly.

Practical implications

Nowadays in the world, long distance slurry pipelines are used for the transportation of highly concentration slurries. Many researchers have carried out an experiment in the design aspects of hydraulic transportation system. Rheological characteristics of slurry also play crucial role in determining important parameters of hydraulic conveying such as head loss in commercial slurry pipeline. The current research is useful for the prediction of pressure drop based on rheological behavior of fly ash slurry at various solid concentrations. The current research is helpful for finding the effect of solid concentration and flow velocity on the flow behavior of slurry.

Social implications

Slurry pipeline transportation has advantages over rail and road transportation because of low energy consumption, economical, less maintenance and eco-friendly nature. Presently majority of the thermal power plants in India and other parts of the world dispose of coal ash at low concentration (20 per cent by weight) to ash ponds using the slurry pipeline. Transporting solids in slurry pipelines at higher concentrations will require a thorough knowledge of pressure drop. In the current research a rheological model is proposed for prediction of pressure drop in the slurry pipeline, which is useful for optimization of flow parameters.

Originality/value

All the experimental work is done on fly ash slurry samples collect from the Jharli thermal power plant from Haryana State of India. Bench scale tests are performed in the water resource laboratory of IIT Delhi for physical and rheological analysis of slurry. It has been shown in the results that up to solid concentration of 50 per cent by mass all the samples behave as non-Newtonian and follows a Herschel–Bulkley model with shear thickening behavior. In the present research all the result outcomes are unique and original and does not copied from anywhere.

Citation

Singh, K.P., Kumar, A. and Kaushal, D.R. (2019), "Pressure drop calculation for fly ash slurry using rheological model", World Journal of Engineering, Vol. 16 No. 6, pp. 751-767. https://doi.org/10.1108/WJE-03-2019-0086