Study on Hydraulic Transport of Large Solid Particles in Inclined Pipes for Subsea Mining

For subsea mining, the prediction of pressure loss due to the hydraulic transport of solid particles in the flexible pipe to connect the mining tool and the lifting system is important for the design of mining system. The configuration of the flexible pipe is expected to have an inclined part. In the present paper, the authors developed a mathematical model to predict the pressure loss in inclined pipes. The total pressure loss is expressed by the summation of the loss due to a liquid single-phase flow and the additional loss due to the existence of solid particles. The additional pressure loss can be divided into the variation in static pressure due to the existence of solid particles, the loss due to the particle-to-pipe wall friction and collisions, and the loss due to the particle-to-particle collisions. The empirical formula in horizontal pipes proposed by the other researchers was applied to the model of the last two losses. Furthermore, we carried out the experiment on hydraulic transport of solid particles in a pipe. In the experiment, alumina beads, glass beads, and gravel were used as the solid particles, and the inclination angles of the pipe were varied to investigate the effect of the pipe inclination on the pressure loss. The calculated pressure loss using the model was compared with the experimental data. As the results of the comparison, it was confirmed that the developed model could be applied to the prediction of the pressure loss in inclined pipes.