Numerical investigation of isothermal and non-isothermal ice slurry flow in horizontal elliptical pipe

This study reports an analysis of isothermal and non-isothermal (with melting) ice slurry flow in horizontal elliptical pipes. A three dimensional Euler-Euler granular multiphase turbulent CFD model has been constructed accounting the effects of particle collisions, drag, lift and turbulence dispersion. The model is applied to study isothermal and non-isothermal ice slurry flow in horizontal elliptical pipes and the characteristics, such as stratified flow development, heterogeneity in ice fraction distribution, pressure drop, melting and heat transfer are described. Isothermal ice slurry flow in elliptical pipes results in slightly lower heterogeneity as compared to circular pipes for a given constant flow rate. The heterogeneity of ice fraction distribution in the elliptical pipe increases as the size of the ice particles increase. For non-isothermal ice slurry flow, as compared to circular pipe elliptical pipe results in less melting tendency of ice particles.