The least energy and water cost condition for turbulent, homogeneous pipeline slurry transport

Abstract

The efficient combined use of water and energy in long distance slurry pipelines is analyzed in light of the total cost function resulting from an energy and mass balance. Given a system throughput and a set of common slurry and flow properties associated with long distance cross country pipelines such as Krieger-type rheology and smooth wall turbulent flow with small yield-to-wall stress, the minimum cost condition is obtained at the minimum feasible transport mean velocity. This condition has been found irrespective of the particular value of the dissipation-to-pump station location difference, provided the required pumping power is positive.