Justification of parameters of the technological equipment at hydraulic transportation of highly concentrated hydraulic mixtures

Abstract

An important task in designing hydrotransport mixtures with high concentration of solid particles is the choice of corresponding reological models on the basis of which all parameters of the hydrotransport system are determined. Attempts made by many researchers in applying reological models of pure liquids for high-concentration mixtures have rarely led to obtaining positive results. The core of the problem lies in complexity and sometimes impossibility to determine the main reological features such as upper yield point, effective dynamic and plastic viscosities, etc. Results of such investigations are published in a number of papers. The most often used approaches are the Herschel-Balkley model and two types of the Bingham model. From the practical point of view the Bingham model seems more preferable. The paper presents a design procedure to calculate parameters of high-concentration hydrotransport mixtures, which is based on previously developed mathematical model for transportation of such hydromixtures. This method is the based on the assumption that the blow body with variable values of solid particle concentration and viscosity is formed in the volume of high-concentration hydromixture. Experimental investigations carried out in both laboratory and industrial conditions using copper ore mill tailings have shown high convergence of theoretical and experienced data, which allows application of this model to calculate pipeline transportation of high-concentration hydromixtures.