STUDY OF THE FLOW PROPERTIES OF SLURRIES USING THE REFRACTIVE-INDEX MATCHING TECHNIQUE AND LDV

Modern light scattering instrumentation cannot be applied to many concentrated slurries because they are opaque. In this study Laser Doppler Velocimetry is used to measure liquid and solid axial velocity profiles for refractive index matched slurries with solids loadings as great as 25 vol.%. Since measurements in flow geometries more complex than straight horizontal pipe are of interest in many applications, axial velocity profiles through a concentric contraction are reported. The usefulness of these measurements from an experimental perspective and a modeling perspective is discussed. The theoretical analyses of Hanks and Dadia and Hanks and Ricks were applied to the flow data through the constant-diameter pipe. Flow regimes are identified where these theories are appropriate.