PRESSURE DROP IN ICE-WATER SLURRIES FOR THERMAL STORAGE APPLICATION

Pressure drop and flow characteristics were studied for ice-water slurries in 7.6 m-long horizontal pipes of diameters 0.1 m and 0.05 m. Ice fractions ranged from 0 to 16% in the experiments, and the latter represented considerable thermal storage potential. Reynolds numbers at zero ice fraction were above 10(5). The plug flow regime, which. occurred at ice fractions above 8% and corresponded to significant drag reduction from the all-liquid case, was modeled and a pressure drop correlation equation was developed. The modeling was guided by the visual observations of the flow structure during the experiments. A correlation was also developed for the minimum ice fraction necessary to reach the plug flow regime.