Design and modelling of a self-dispersing twisted pipe to mitigate settling in coal water suspension

The hydrotransport of the industrial powders and bulk solids such as minerals, mineral tailings, coal and ash is considered to be an efficient mode of transportation. The pipelines ranging from a few meters to few kilometers in length are used for such transportation purposes. If not well addressed, the issue of particle settling in such pipelines can lead to blockage and even bursting of the pipeline due to the continued deposition of the solids. The present study proposes the introduction of a twisted pipe section of a suitable length and geometry, that produces enough turbulence in the flow, sufficient for the re-dispersion of the already settled particles and check their further deposition. To achieve this objective, 5 different geometries (each having 4 different lengths) of twisted pipes are designed and used to model the dynamics of the particles’ flow through them and in their downstream region. A low influx velocity (where particle settling is expected) of 0.5 m/s is selected for all the cases and the influx solids’ mass concentration ranges from 40 to 60%. The results generated by the commercial CFD software are in good agreement with the experimental data. The parameters viz. mixing index, pressure loss, and specific energy consumption are evaluated to choose the best design of the twisted pipe section. The 0.2 m long 3 lobes twisted pipe section is found to deliver the suspension of highest homogeneity at the cost of a slight increase in pressure loss and specific energy consumption. The present solution ensures the mitigation of particles’ settling and the other related issues.