Advanced numerical modeling of turbulent ice slurry flows in a straight pipe

The present work aims at developing and assessing an advanced numerical model in order to investigate the dynamic behavior of ice slurry flows under isothermal conditions. The transport equation proposed by Phillips et al. [1] for solid suspension flows is used to describe the evolution of the particle volume fraction within the flow. For turbulent flows, an original term is introduced to account for the turbulent dispersion of the particles. The model has first been favorably compared to experimental data available in the literature for three types of solid-fluid suspensions. It is also shown that it provides more accurate predictions than more complex two-phase models. The numerical model has then been used confidently to investigate ice slurry flows. Four turbulence closures have been compared in a numerical benchmark. The results obtained by the k−ω SST model have then been compared for discussion to the analytical model of Kitanovski and Poredǒs [2] for eight sets of inlet flow conditions. The present model is able to capture more complex flow features, especially the secondary flow and the near-wall boundary layers.