Experimental Study on Solid-Water Slurry Flow in Vertical Pipe

Abstract

For the purpose of experimental analysis of solid-water slurry flow in vertical pipe, a transparent pipe of 50mm diameter and 4.5m length is instrumented by pressure gages, flow meters and CCD camera. Load ratio, which means the ratio of mass flow rate of solid particles to mass flow rate of water, is controlled. Spherical glass beads, of which diameters are 3mm, 5mm and 7mm, and the specific weight is 2.5, are used as solid particles. Volume concentration of slurry particles, a significant factor for estimation of hydraulic gradient, is obtained based on the measurement of the mean velocity of solid particles. PTV (Particle Tracking Velocimetry) method is applied to measurement of the velocities of solid particles and evaluation of the mean velocity. Volume concentration and hydraulic gradient are analyzed in range of Reynolds No. between 0.66xE05 and 2.0xE05 according to the variation of particle size and load ratio.