Resuspension of non-Newtonian slurries by submerged jet-nozzles

Experiments were conducted to determine the fluid velocity required for resuspension and removal of the radioactive waste sludge, which is characterized as a non-Newtonian fluid, from the tanks at the Savannah river site (SRS) (Georgia, USA) to accelerate the closure of the tanks with high level waste (HLW). Five different non-Newtonian fluids, which simulated the actual waste characteristics, were used to investigate the resuspension of the slurries with a jet-nozzle mixer. The laboratory tests were conducted at different flow rates and jet-nozzle orientations in a cylindrical tank with 0.3-m diameter and 0.46 m in height. Resuspension of the slurries was achieved by the submerged jets produced by two horizontal discharge nozzles located under the liquid level and positioned at 180° from each other. The fluids exhibited Bingham plastic behavior; therefore, the mixing power depends not only on the Reynolds number but also on the yield stress and high shear viscosity. A similarity analysis was performed to determine the effective cleaning radius (ECR) of the jet. The mixing efficiency was evaluated by visual analysis of the images during the experiments conducted at three nozzle orientations at 0°, 45°, and 90° and two nozzle exit velocities of 2.33 m/s and 0.56 m/s. The centerline velocity decayed with the distance from the jet-nozzle. The experimental results were compared with other mixing models.