Overview of Slurry Storage Tank Design and Operation for Hydrotransport Systems

Abstract

This paper provides a summary of slurry tank design for feeding and receiving slurry transported through pipelines. It considers the solids suspension mechanisms, the relevant physical properties of the solid and liquid phases, and the type, number and position of appropriate agitators. Slurry tank operation covers the degree of solid suspension required such as “just-suspension” and cloud height, including the prediction of “just-suspension” agitator speed. The effect of the partial discharge and complete draining of a slurry tank, and therefore a progressive decrease in the slurry level in the tank, on the extent of particle suspension is also covered.

Experimental Characterization Techniques for Solid-Liquid Slurry Flows in Pipelines: A Review

“…With this review text the purpose is to discuss experimental measurement techniques used to characterize physical properties and operational parameters of solid-liquid slurry flows, focusing primarily on non-ionizing radiation methods. On this topic certainly several quality review papers populate the literature, providing a synthesis and understanding on the topic; however, it is this author's opinion that most of these papers either present a broad survey of the literature but do not encompass more complex and modern techniques, or a brief survey of the literature is presented, and then focus is shifted towards a particular technique, or set of techniques, related to the authors experience or specific research interests [5,[16][17][18][19]. With this review text the goal is to have an encompassing manuscript, for both early-stage and seasoned scholars, providing an overview on most pertinent types of instrumentation and techniques together with application examples found in the literature and directing the reader for pertinent review papers for a more in-depth analysis.…”

“…The following summary provides an overview of main commercial online and offline techniques [16,20,21]:…”

“…It is claimed that the method is independent of particle shape, color, and density, but identification of an electrolyte for some slurries can be a problem. Typical measured particle size range is 0.4 µm to 1.2 mm [16,22,23].…”

“…A wide range of density meters (or densitometers) are available commercially and providing an exhaustive list is beyond the scope of this review, nonetheless the most known variations for solid-liquid slurry flow are presented below [16]:…”

“…An example of for ultrasonic extinction equipment is Sympatec's Opus which can characterize PSD with ranges of 0.01 µm to 3 mm and will also determine solids concentration [16]. Other equipment leveraging dynamic light technique are commercially available by Malvern Instruments, Sympatec, and Beckman Coulter, amongst others, with different capabilities but overall typical PSD ranges of 0.3 nm to 3 µm.…”