EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF HYDRAULIC PARAMETERS IN THE PUMPING OF IRON ORE SLURRY

Abstract

Brazil is one of the world’s largest producers of iron ore and uses, among other modes, pipelines to transport it to ports for export. This technique consists of pumping a slurry composed of water and ore and stands out for its lower CO₂ emissions and reduced energy consumption. As a drawback, it requires a high amount of water and lacks experimental data on pumping parameters. The present study evaluated the two-phase water/pellet feed flow in a bench-scale unit with a 1-inch transparent PVC pipeline. Pressure-loss curves were determined, and flow regimes were identified as a function of flow rate and fluid velocity. The results indicated a critical velocity close to 2.0 m/s