Research on the Characteristics of Solid–Liquid Two-Phase Flow in the Lifting Pipeline of Seabed Mining
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Numerical Modeling Setup
2.1. Governing Equation
2.1.1. Fluid Control Equations
2.1.2. Particle Control Equations
2.2. CFD-DEM Coupling
2.3. Basic Theory of Solid–Liquid Two-Phase Flow
2.3.1. The Forces Acting on Particles in Fluids
2.3.2. Particle-to-Particle Contact Force
2.3.3. Contact Force between Particles and Pipe Walls
2.4. Computational Details
2.4.1. Numerical Scheme
2.4.2. Simulation Grid and Conditions
3. Deep-Sea Mining Lifting Pipeline Experimental Platform
4. Results and Discussion
4.1. Particle Lifting Performance Analysis
4.1.1. Effect of Conveying Parameters on Lifting Performance
4.1.2. Effect of Structural Parameter on Lifting Performance
4.2. Analysis of Particle Distribution
4.2.1. Overall Particle Distribution
4.2.2. Particle Radial Distribution
4.3. Analysis of Velocity Characteristics in Mixed Flow Areas
4.3.1. Analysis of Particle Phase Velocity Characteristics
4.3.2. Analysis of Liquid Phase Velocity Characteristics
4.4. Analysis of Pressure Characteristics in Mixed Flow Areas
4.4.1. Dynamic Pressure of Two-Phase Flow on Pipe Walls
4.4.2. Shear Stress of Two-Phase Flow on Pipe Walls
5. Conclusions
- (1)
- The choice of conveying parameters and structural factors in the vertical pipeline during hydraulic lifting significantly affects the efficiency of the lifting process. More precisely, the efficiency of lifting initially improves (Q < 50 L/min) and subsequently declines (Q > 50 L/min). Additionally, the lifting efficiency varies significantly across various ranges of particle concentration. The elevation of particles with low concentrations is appropriate for lower rates of fluid flow. For medium-range particle concentrations, it is straightforward to pick a lifting flow rate of 45–65 L/min. For the lifting of high-concentration particles, a larger lifting flow rate should be chosen to overcome the interaction between particles. The size of the pipe diameter substantially impacts the lifting efficiency and the two-phase flow pattern. The greater the pipe diameter, the higher the initial lifting flow rate required. The smaller the pipe diameter, the lower the initial lifting flow rate can convey the particles to the target height, but the likelihood of obstruction is greatly increased.
- (2)
- Lifting flow may greatly increase particle dispersion and improve particle followability; a notably high lift flow can effectively alleviate the issue of the poor followability of big particles. The increase in lift flow may make the particles more equally scattered in the radial location, which is favorable to the velocity and pressure distribution. The increase in particle concentration will greatly increase the velocity gradient. A stronger lift flow is needed to overcome the contact between particles, resulting in a considerable local clustering effect of particles. Simultaneously, the disturbance induced by particle collision and mixing caused by variations in particle concentration has a bigger influence on dynamic pressure fluctuations and the shear stress distribution. There is an optimum lift flow corresponding to varied particle concentrations, which may improve particle dispersion.
- (3)
- Compared with the lifting of particles of the same size, the lifting efficiency of particles of three different sizes under the same operating circumstances is enhanced, and its followability is improved with the reduction in particle size. Furthermore, the dynamic pressure pulsation of solid–liquid two-phase flow on the pipe wall exhibits a transient spike in the initial stage. Overall, the dynamic pressure fluctuation on the wall is weakened, but the peak value is raised, and the distribution of shear stress becomes more unequal.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
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Material | Recovery Factor | Static Friction Coefficient | Rolling Friction Coefficient |
---|---|---|---|
Particle–particle | 0.48 | 0.10 | 0.01 |
Particle–wall surface | 0.45 | 0.28 | 0.01 |
Experimental Equipment | Parameter | Value |
---|---|---|
Lift water pump | Motor model | QD3–50/3–1.5 |
Power (kW) | 1.5 | |
Maximum boost flow (m3/h) | 3 | |
Maximum lift (m) | 50 | |
Turbine flow meter | Measuring range (L/min) | 9–110 |
Calculation accuracy | ±0.5% | |
Work pressure (Bar) | ≤20 | |
Pipeline parameters | Pipe diameter (mm) | 30, 40, 50 |
Wall thickness (mm) | 5 | |
Pipe length (m) | 2.5 | |
Experimental pool | Pool parameters (m) | 5 × 3 × 2.5 |
Depth of water (m) | 2 |
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Su, T.; Chen, S.; Yuan, H. Research on the Characteristics of Solid–Liquid Two-Phase Flow in the Lifting Pipeline of Seabed Mining. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12, 1409. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12081409
Su T, Chen S, Yuan H. Research on the Characteristics of Solid–Liquid Two-Phase Flow in the Lifting Pipeline of Seabed Mining. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2024; 12(8):1409. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12081409
Chicago/Turabian StyleSu, Tianyu, Shengtao Chen, and Hanhan Yuan. 2024. "Research on the Characteristics of Solid–Liquid Two-Phase Flow in the Lifting Pipeline of Seabed Mining" Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 12, no. 8: 1409. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12081409