Investigation of Pressure Drop Characteristics of Coal Slurry Pipeline

Abstract

Transportation of coal through pipeline is advantageous in terms of many factors like less operating and capital cost, more reliable than any other modes of transport. The present work of experimentation of coal water slurry flow through pilot plant test loop is conducted at Thapar University, Patiala. The effect of varying input concentration of solids at 3%, 7% and 10% on pressure drop is studied on sudden contraction and pipe bend geometries at different flow rates. The physical and chemical characteristics coal sample with respect to its hydraulic transportation through pipeline is studied. The numerical investigation is also carried out using commercial computational fluid dynamics code FLUENT to study the pressure drop at various pipe transitions. The numerical simulation results of pressure drop for coal slurry flowing through the bend is compared with the published literature and is found to be in good agreement. The pressure drop is determined both experimentally as well as numerically at different concentrations 3%, 7% and 10% by varying the discharge and the comparison is made. It is found that there is a little deviation between the experimental and numerical results. The pipe fitting geometries like sudden contraction and bend were simulated for analysing the coal slurry flow behaviour at high concentration of 40%, 50% and 60%.The pH characteristics of coal slurry with increasing concentration of solids by weight was studied and it was found that the slurry pH decreases with increasing concentration of solids by weight.