Solids segregation in slurry flow through a T-junction with a horizontal approach

Abstract

Particle segregation in slurry flow through a T-junction with a horizontal approach has been examined. Water-sand slurries were used with T-junctions of various orientations: upward and downward in a vertical plane and side orientation in a horizontal plane. The effects of particle size, upstream solids concentration, upstream bulk velocity and flow ratio (defined as branch flow rate to upstream flow rate) on the branch and run solids concentration were studied. For given upstream conditions, the experimental results showed that for all branch orientations the concentration ratios of the branch and run (defined as the ratio of the branch or run solids concentration to the upstream solids concentration) are strong functions of the flow ratio. For the vertical upward and side orientations, the concentration ratio was round to be less than unity and approaches one as the flow ratio approaches unity. For the vertical downward orientation, it was found that the concentration ratio was mainly greater than unity and approached unity as the flow ratio approached one. For all orientations, the branch concentration ratio was round to be a function of the upstream bulk velocity, solids concentration and particle size. For the vertical upward orientation, the concentration ratio increased as the upstream velocity or solids concentration increased, but decreased as the particle size increase. The opposite trends occurred for the vertical downward orientation. For the side orientation, the branch concentration ratio decreased as the upstream velocity, particle size increased, whereas the effect of upstream solids concentration on the branch concentration ratio was found to be insignificant.