Hydrodynamic investigation of slurry flows in horizontal narrow rectangular channels

Abstract

Despite the extensive research on the liquid-solid two-phase flow in horizontal circular tubes, there is rarely any discussion over the liquid-solid two-phase hydrodynamics and the solid phase diffusion features in horizontal narrow rectangular channels. To make up for the gap, this paper employs the experimental method and CFD-DEM to investigate the hydrodynamics of glass beads-water slurry flows in a 12-mm tall horizontal rectangular channel, and explore the slurry flow features of the system at the velocity of 1.0m/s. The main conclusions are as follows. First, a dilute disperse phase and a dense cluster phase were formed; Second, in the vertical direction, the solid concentration is positively correlated with the degree of asymmetry of solid velocity profiles, but negatively with that of solid concentration profiles; Third, three distinct regions in the slurry flows exhibited different standard variances of solid velocity and solid concentration. This research provides new insights into the liquid-solid two-phase flow in horizontal narrow rectangular channels.