A laboratory study of solid-water mixture flow head losses through pipelines at different slopes and solid concentrations

Abstract

Head loss through pipelines is considered as one of the most important parameters for designing the fluid flow and determining the necessary pump horsepower. The solid concentration and pipe inclination affect solid-water mixture head losses. The present study investigates the effect of the solid concentration and pipeline inclination angle in upward and downward layouts on the hydraulic gradient. The effect of inclination was studied at six different angles in each upward and downward layout. For each inclination angle, six solid concentrations were tested. The results show that, for the head losses of the downward pipeline inclination layout, slurry flow is always lower than for the head losses of the horizontal mixture flow; it is also lower than that of the upward pipeline inclination layout slurry flow, regardless of the concentration or inclination angle. The results were translated into general curves and equations to predict the solid-water head losses for a given pipeline inclination, solid concentration, and solid-water mixture discharge.