Experimental study on the effects of big particles physical characteristics on the hydraulic transport inside a horizontal pipe

This paper presents an experimental study of the physical characteristic effects of large particles on hydraulic transport in a horizontal pipe. The particles are spherical and are large with respect to the diameter of the pipe （8%, 10% 16% and 25%）. Experiments were done to test the important parameters in solid transport （pressure, velocity, etc.）. As a result, the relationship between the pressure gradient forces and the mixture velocity was sub- stantially different from the pure liquid flow. However, in a single-phase flow a monotonous behavior of the pres- sure drop curve is observed, and the curve of the solid particle flow attains its minimum at the critical velocity. The regimes are characterized with differential pressure measurements and visualizations.