CFD Simulation of Turbulent non-Newtonian Slurry Flows in Horizontal Pipelines
Mohsen Sadeghi, Shuo Li, Enzu Zheng, Somasekhara Goud Sontti, Payman Esmaeili, Xuehua Zhang
Abstract
The transport of monodisperse and bimodal particles in a turbulent non-Newtonian carrier is studied using a Eulerian–Eulerian CFD model coupled with granular kinetic theory. The CFD predictions agreed satisfactorily with experimental data of solids concentration and pressure drop. We investigated the effects of the diameter of monodispersed particles (0.5–2 mm), the solids concentration (0.1–0.4), the mixture velocity (3–6 m/s), and the carrier fluid density (1000–1400 kg/m3) on the flow behavior and the specific energy consumption. The mixture velocity had the most significant effect on pressure drop and radial solids distribution. An increase in the mixture velocity or the solids concentration led to a larger pressure drop, primarily due to the intensified particle–wall and particle–particle interactions. At the maximum velocity of 6 m/s, the solids concentration distribution reversed near the pipe invert with a local maximum in turbulent kinetic energy from a low solids concentration, whereas turbulence was dampened at the pipe core where the solids concentration was higher. A higher solids concentration and a lower mixture velocity led to lower specific energy consumption. Overall, this study presents a reliable and affordable simulation approach for modeling turbulent non-Newtonian slurries.