Pipe Sizing for Non-Newtonian Flow

Non-Newtonian fluids vary significantly in their properties that control flow and pressure loss during flow from the properties of Newtonian fluids. The key factors influencing non-Newtonian fluids are their shear thinning or thickening characteristics and time dependency of viscosity on the stress in the fluid. 

Most conventional chemical and petrochemical plants do not process many, if any, non-Newtonian fluids. However, polymers, grease, heavy oils, cellulose compounds, paints, fine chalk suspensions in water, some asphalts, and other materials do exhibit one type or another of the characteristics of non-Newtonians, classified as  

Solving these classes of flow problems requires specific data on the fluid, which is often not in the public literature, or requires laboratory determinations using a rotational viscometer. The results do not allow use of the usual 

Applied Process Design for Chemical and Petrochemical Plants 

Fanning or Moody friction charts and are beyond the scope of this chapter. Design literature is very limited, with some of the current available references being Sultan [21], Bird el al. [22], Cheremisinoff, N. P. and Gupta [14], Perry el al. [5], and Brodkey and Hershey [23]. 

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