Numerical simulation of pressure profile of mining backfill fly-ash slurry in an L-shaped pipe using a validated Herschel-Bulkley model

Abstract

The study of pressure loss along pipelines during slurry transportation has become a core research concern. However, the simulation research on non-Newtonian flows in mining backfill operations is limited. In this study, a validated Herschel-Bulkley model is deployed to simulate and quantify the pressure evolution and flow characteristics of backfilling slurry inside an L-shaped pipe, showing that both the total and dynamic pressures decrease gradually from the central region to the layers close to the pipe walls. Through a numerical analysis, this paper introduces an unprecedented pressure loss calculation formula simultaneously taking into consideration, both the pipe diameter and the slurry flow velocity.

Keywords:

• fly-ash
• non-Newtonian
• simulation
• pressure loss
• Herschel-Bulkley

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest in connection with the work submitted.

Additional information

Funding

The research work was supported by the China Scholarship Council under Grant [201606430034] and the Shandong Province Natural Science Foundation Project under Grant [ZR2020QE128].