Prediction of pressure drop of two-phase coal slurries in pipelines

Pressure drop and flow rate measurements through pipeline viscometers were analyzed using the power law, Bingham-plastic and Bowen non-Newtonian heological models in a computer program. Wall slip was corrected with Hanks' modification of the Rabinowitsch-Mooney equation. The possibility of solids settling was analyzed with the Oroskar-Turian correlation. The program relates shear stress to shear rate for Fort Lewis coal-slurry data to within 5% for flow without solids settling. Wilsonville coal-slurry data with solids settling were fit to within 17% by the Bowen model, but the Bowen parameters are very sensitive to operating conditions. Pressure drop is predicted in the program as a function of flow rate and pipe diameter, using the analysis of best-fit rheological parameters and literature correlations for friction factors. The effect of wall slip on shear stress decreased with increasing pipe diameter. A modification to the graphical criterion for turbulence was proposed that utilizes the numerical value of the slopes of the branched flow curves.