Plastics, slurry rheology

Chemorheology is concerned with the chemical kinetics and the associated flow properties of a model reacting system. Energetic composite rheology is a continuously evolving process. The initial slurry viscosity is determined by the system temperature, plasticizer content... 

Rheology deals with the deformation and flow of any material under the influence of an applied stress. In practical apphcations, it is related with flow, transport, and handling any simple and complex fluids [1], It deals with a variety of materials from elastic Hookean solids to viscous Newtonian liquid. In general, rheology is concerned with the deformation of solid materials including metals, plastics, and mbbers, and hquids such as polymer melts, slurries, and polymer solutions. 

Fig. 1 Classes of rheological behavior that can be shown by coal slurries, as they appear when plotted on a shear rate/ shear stress graph. It is desirable for coal slurries to be Bingham plastic or pseudoplastic with yield, as such slurries flow readily at high shear rates (such as during pumping or atomization), while remaining stable against settling at low shear rates because of their yield stress. Dilatant slurries are completely unsuitable for coal slurry applications because they are extremely difficult to pump.

The size distribution of particles will control the amount of liquid needed to fluidize a given quantity of coal. In general, a fine size distribution will produce a more viscous slurry than a coarse size distribution at the same wt% solids, and the fine particles will produce a more non-Newtonian rheological curve. This can be seen in the laboratory results shown in Fig. 3, which compares a coarse coal slurry to a fine coal slurry. It is clearly seen that the fine slurry is much more viscous, its pseudoplastic character is very pronounced, and its yield value is high, while the coarse coal slurry is clearly a Bingham plastic. ... 

Fig. 3 Comparison of the rheological curves for a fine coal slurry (80% passing 34 gm, top size lOOgm, 52wt% solids) and for a coarse coal slurry (58wt% solids). Neither slurry used any additives. Because it is extremely difficult to measure the rheology of unstable slurries with conventional rheometers, these results were obtained using a continuous-pressure-vessel rheometer, which was specially designed for this purpose. The fine coal curve is the average of 10 measurements and the coarse coal curve is the average of 5 measurements, and the standard error of the shear rate measurements was approximately 1.0 Pa for these slurries. The fine coal slurry is clearly pseudoplastic with a yield value of approximately 18 Pa, while the coarse coal slurry is Bingham plastic with an estimated yield value of 4 Pa.

Figure 9. Rheological measurements performed with a coaxial cylinder viscometer. (A) Slurry showing a power law behavior and (B) slurry showing a Bingham plastic behavior.

However, Shah et al. (IS) proposed an empirical correlation between the rheological properties of a large number of cement slurries as measured with the two types equipments (modified Fann35, and pipe nominal IDs of V2, %, 1, and ll/4 in.). These slurries are assumed to behave as Bingham plastic fluids and... 

The rheological behaviour of a coal slurry (1160kg/m ) can be approximated by the Bingham plastic model with Tq = 0.5 Pa and /ng = 14mPa-s. It is to be pumped through a 400 mm diameter pipe at the rate of 188kg/s. Ascertain the nature of the flow by calculating the maximum permissible velocity for laminar flow conditions. 

At high particle concentrations, slurries are often non-Newtonian. For non-Newtonian fluids, the relationship between the shear stress and shear rate, which describes the rheology of the slurry, is not linear and/or a certain minimum stress is required before flow begins. The power-law, Bingham plastic and Herschel-Bulkley models are various models used to describe the flow behaviour of slurries in which these other types of relationships between the shear stress and shear rate exist. Although less common, some slurries also display time-dependent flow behaviour. In these cases, the shear stress can decrease with time when the shear rate is maintained constant (thixotropic fluid) or can increase with time when the shear rate is maintained constant (rheopectic fluid). Milk is an example of a non-settling slurry which behaves as a thixotropic liquid. 

Pressure Drop Prediction for Slurries Exhibiting Bingham Plastic Rheology... 

Figure 4.6 Friction factor as a function of Reynolds number and Hedstrom number for slurries exhibiting Bingham plastic rheology...

Input the rheology of the slurry to obtain the plasticity, Reynolds, or Hedstrom number based on the hydraulic radius of the flow. 

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