Simulation of circular pipe flow of thixotropic cemented tailings pastes

Abstract

Cemented tailings pastes (CTPs) exhibit complex thixotropic behaviors, which considerably affect the accurate prediction of pressure drop in circular pipe transport. In this work, the thixotropy of CTPs is incorporated into the numerical simulation via a constitutive thixotropic model. The analytical solution of the velocity profile across the pipe based on the equilibrium rheological model is presented. Comparisons indicate that the Bingham model cannot accurately characterize the flow behaviors of CTPs. It also overestimates the pressure drop in the circular pipe. Moreover, the pressure drop predicted by the novel equilibrium model is overestimated because of thixotropy. A peak of the structural parameter can be observed near the edge of the plug region, which highly influences shear rate distribution. The effects of solids content and flow rate on pressure drop are analyzed. In summary, thixotropy should be considered in the circular pipe flow simulation of CTPs.