Abstract
This 1984 IFPRI Annual Report, covering the period from September 1, 1983 to April 15, 1985, presents the results of studies involving the characterization, the rheology and the flow in straight pipe as well as pipeline transitions of concentrated aqueous laterite suspensions. The report consists of two parts. The first part presents the results of comprehensive bench-scale tests whose aim was to probe the limits of the properties of laterite suspensions, and to explore some of the means to control them. Experimental data on sedimentation rates, zeta potential, 'in-situ' particle aggregate size, and yield stress for concentrated laterite suspensions were taken and have been correlated with suspension pH. The second part of the report presents the results of large scale pipeline flow experiments involving concentrated laterite suspensions. The experimental work in this part consisted of property characterization and rheology measurements for various concentrations of later te suspensions, and also tests on laminar and turbulent flow of these suspensions through straight pipe and through pipeline bends, fittings and flow control and flow metering devices. The results of the experiments have been analyzed, and are presented as correlations of zeta potential, yield stress and stress-rate of strain dependence as functions of suspended solids concentration, as friction factor - generalized Reynolds number correlations for straight pipe flow, and as correlations of friction loss with generalized Reynolds number for flow through bends, fittings and valves.