An Experimental Study of the Hydrodynamic Transport of Spherical and Cylindrical Capsules in a Vertical Pipeline

Abstract

<p>This thesis is concerned with the flow phenomena associated with the hydraulic transport of spherical and cylindrical capsules in a 7.6 cm-diameter vertical pipeline.</p> <p>In the experiments, spherical capsules of steel, aluminum and nylon of capsule/pipe diameter ratio d/D = 0.57, 0.65 and 0.82 were investigated. Also, right circular cylinders of aluminum and nylon of d/D = 0.49, 0.65, 0.82, and capsule length/diameter ratio L/d = 4, 7, 10, 14 were investigated. The steady-state capsule velocity Vc and the pressure gradient associated with the capsules were measured. Based on the measured results the velocity ratio Rv, the pressure gradient Rp and the unit energy requirements P for the capsules were calculated. The effects of the individual pertinent variables which affect Rv, Rp and P as indicates by the experiments were discussed.</p> <p>Furthermore, theoretical and semi-empirical correlations between Vc, (ΔP/L)c and the pertinent variables of the systems were derived.</p>