Separation of cohesive particulate suspensions under stagnant conditions in horizontal pipes

Abstract

Separation of cohesive particulate suspensions in horizontal pipes can lead to formation, growth and consolidation of a solid-like bed that can severely retard pipeline performance. As stagnant flow conditions frequently arise during processing, critical operational questions include: (i) at what rate and extent does sedimentation proceed, and (ii) can separation dynamics be predicted from conventional suspension characterisation methods? These questions are addressed by characterising the sedimentation and consolidation properties of an aqueous kaolin suspension via batch settling tests and comparing numerical predictions from 1D theory for sedimentation and consolidation in arbitrary-shape..