Thesis (MTech (Electrical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2007 / The rheological behaviour of non-Newtonian, highly concentrated and non-transparent fluids
used in industry have so far been analysed using commercially available instruments, such as
conventional rotational rheometers and tube viscometers. When dealing with the prediction of
non-Newtonian flows in pipes, pipe fittings and open channels, most of the models used are
empirical in nature. The fact that the fluids or slurries that are used normally are opaque,
effectively narrows down the variety of applicable in-line rheometers even further, as these
instruments are normally based on laser or visible light techniques, such as Laser Doppler
Anemometry. Electrical Resistance Tomography is a non-invasive method used to look into
opaque suspensions during pipe flow, but cannot be used to measure in-line rheometry.
In this research, an Ultrasound Pulsed Echo Doppler Velocity Profile technique (UVP), in
combination with a pressure difference (PD) was tested to provide in-line measurement of
rheological parameters. The main objective ofthis research was to evaluate the capabilities of the
UVP-PD technique for rheological characterisation of different concentrations of non-transparent
non-Newtonian slurries.
A unique pipe viscometer was designed and constructed. It consisted of four pipes, one of
stainless steel and three of PVC, linked to an in-line mass-flow meter and equipped with two
different ranges of pressure transducers on each pipe. The stainless steel pipe, with an inner
diameter of 16 mm, was equipped with a specially designed flow adapter for in-line rheological
characterisation using the UVP-PD method. The three PVC pipes with different diameters of 9
mm, 13 mm and 16 mm served as a tube viscometer for in-line rheological characterisation of
mineral suspensions.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:cput/oai:localhost:20.500.11838/1150 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Kotze, Reinhardt |
| Publisher | Cape Peninsula University of Technology |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/za/ |
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