Pseudoplastics, slurry rheology

Slurry Viscosity. Viscosities of magnesium hydroxide slurries are determined by the Brookfield Viscometer in which viscosity is measured using various combinations of spindles and spindle speeds, or other common methods of viscometry. Viscosity decreases with increasing rate of shear. Fluids, such as magnesium hydroxide slurry, that exhibit this type of rheological behavior are termed pseudoplastic. The viscosities obtained can be correlated with product or process parameters. Details of viscosity deterrnination for slurries are well covered in the Hterature (85,86). 

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.

Equation 3-5 i is known as the Herschel-Buckley equation of yield pseudoplastics and is accepted by most slurry experts to describe the rheology of yield pseudoplastics with... 

A behaviour of the dense fine grained slurries in laminar flow regime can be described by Bingham fluid model or the yield pseudoplastic rheological model, respectively... 

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