International Conference on Hydrotransport special issue section: Preface

Selected papers presented at the 19(th) International Conference on Hydrotransport (HYDROTRANSPORT 19, Golden, CO, 24-26 September 2014) are published as a special section in this issue. The transport of solid-liquid mixtures (or slurries) in pipelines or in open-channel flow is ubiquitous in Canada's mining, mineral processing, and oil sands industries. In particular, processes designed to produce dewatered waste tailings, which are crucial components in any strategy to reduce land disturbance and minimize water usage, involve the transport and deposition of complex, highly non-Newtonian, settling mixtures. The specific focus of each study in this special issue section varies quite widely, ranging from a historical perspective on slurry flow modelling to fluid-structure interactions during pump operation. The papers presented, though, are united in that they contribute to step-change improvements in the ability to understand slurry flow behaviour through model development and advanced measurement techniques.