Effect of initial aqueous solution concentration on rheological behavior of ice slurry

• Ice slurry flowed upward and downward to keep it homogeneous in the tube.
• Pressure drop was measured to explain the rheological behavior of the ice slurry.
• IPF, Reynolds number, and initial solution concentration were varied as parameters.
• The rheological behavior of the ice slurry depends on the aqueous concentration.

Ice slurry displays many advantages as a phase-change material because the latent heat of ice particles can be used and their heat exchange area is large. In this study, the effect of initial concentration on the rheological behavior of ice slurry was investigated experimentally. Ice slurry flowed upward and downward to keep it homogeneous in the tube, and pressure drop was measured to explain the rheological behavior of the ice slurry. The ice packing factor, Reynolds number, and initial aqueous solution concentration were varied as parameters. The ice slurry flow characteristics exhibit a pseudo-plastic fluid tendency for 5 and 10 wt% of the initial concentration. Ice slurry generated from 2 wt% ethanol solution behaves as a Newtonian fluid.