Rearuh

A slurry composed of glass beads in silicone oil flowing down an inclined plane

Potato starch slurry

A slurry is a thin and viscous fluid mixture composed of a pulverized solid and a liquid. Slurries flow under gravity, can be pumped if not too thick, and are often used as a convenient way of handling solids in bulk.^[1]

Examples

Examples of slurries include:

• Cement slurry, a mixture of cement, water, and assorted dry and liquid additives used in the petroleum and other industries^[2][3]
  


• Soil/cement slurry, also called Controlled Low-Strength Material (CLSM), flowable fill, controlled density fill, flowable mortar, plastic soil-cement, K-Krete, and other names^[4]
  


• A mixture of thickening agent, oxidizers, and water used to form a gel explosive^{[citation needed]}
  


• A mixture of pyroclastic material, rocky debris, and water produced in a volcanic eruption and known as a lahar
  


• A mixture of bentonite and water used to make slurry walls
  


• 
  Coal slurry, a mixture of coal waste and water, or crushed coal and water^[5]
  


• 
  Slurry oil, the highest boiling fraction distilled from the effluent of an FCC unit in a oil refinery. It contains large amount of catalyst, in form of sediments hence the denomination of slurry.


• A mixture of wood pulp and water used to make paper
  


• Manure slurry, a mixture of animal waste, organic matter, and sometimes water often known simply as "slurry" in agricultural use, used as fertilizer after ageing in a slurry pit
  


• 
  Meat slurry, a mixture of finely ground meat and water, centrifugally dewatered and used as food


• An abrasive substance used in chemical-mechanical polishing
  


• 
  Slurry ice, a mixture of ice crystals, freezing point depressant, and water


• A mixture of raw materials and water involved in the rawmill manufacture of Portland cement
  


• A mixture of minerals, water, and additives used in the manufacture of ceramics
  


• A bolus of chewed food mixed with saliva^[6]
  


• A mixture of epoxy glue and glass microspheres used as a filler compound around core materials in sandwich-structured composite airframes.

Calculations

Determining solids fraction

To determine the percent solids (or solids fraction) of a slurry from the density of the slurry, solids and liquid^[7]

ϕsl=ρs(ρsl−ρl)ρsl(ρs−ρl){displaystyle phi _{sl}={frac {rho _{s}(rho _{sl}-rho _{l})}{rho _{sl}(rho _{s}-rho _{l})}}}

where

ϕsl{displaystyle phi _{sl}} is the solids fraction of the slurry (state by mass)

ρs{displaystyle rho _{s}} is the solids density

ρsl{displaystyle rho _{sl}} is the slurry density

ρl{displaystyle rho _{l}} is the liquid density

In aqueous slurries, as is common in mineral processing, the specific gravity of the species is typically used, and since SGwater{displaystyle SG_{water}} is taken to be 1, this relation is typically written:

ϕsl=ρs(ρsl−1)ρsl(ρs−1){displaystyle phi _{sl}={frac {rho _{s}(rho _{sl}-1)}{rho _{sl}(rho _{s}-1)}}}

even though specific gravity with units tonnes/m^3 (t/m^3) is used instead of the SI density unit, kg/m^3.

Liquid mass from mass fraction of solids

To determine the mass of liquid in a sample given the mass of solids and the mass fraction:
By definition

ϕsl=MsMsl{displaystyle phi _{sl}={frac {M_{s}}{M_{sl}}}}

therefore

Msl=Msϕsl{displaystyle M_{sl}={frac {M_{s}}{phi _{sl}}}}

and

Ms+Ml=Msϕsl{displaystyle M_{s}+M_{l}={frac {M_{s}}{phi _{sl}}}}

then

Ml=Msϕsl−Ms{displaystyle M_{l}={frac {M_{s}}{phi _{sl}}}-M_{s}}

and therefore

Ml=1−ϕslϕslMs{displaystyle M_{l}={frac {1-phi _{sl}}{phi _{sl}}}M_{s}}

where

ϕsl{displaystyle phi _{sl}} is the solids fraction of the slurry

Ms{displaystyle M_{s}} is the mass or mass flow of solids in the sample or stream

Msl{displaystyle M_{sl}} is the mass or mass flow of slurry in the sample or stream

Ml{displaystyle M_{l}} is the mass or mass flow of liquid in the sample or stream

Volumetric fraction from mass fraction

ϕsl,m=MsMsl{displaystyle phi _{sl,m}={frac {M_{s}}{M_{sl}}}}

Equivalently

ϕsl,v=VsVsl{displaystyle phi _{sl,v}={frac {V_{s}}{V_{sl}}}}

and in a minerals processing context where the specific gravity of the liquid (water) is taken to be one:

ϕsl,v=MsSGsMsSGs+Ml1{displaystyle phi _{sl,v}={frac {frac {M_{s}}{SG_{s}}}{{frac {M_{s}}{SG_{s}}}+{frac {M_{l}}{1}}}}}

So

ϕsl,v=MsMs+MlSGs{displaystyle phi _{sl,v}={frac {M_{s}}{M_{s}+M_{l}SG_{s}}}}

and

ϕsl,v=11+MlSGsMs{displaystyle phi _{sl,v}={frac {1}{1+{frac {M_{l}SG_{s}}{M_{s}}}}}}

Then combining with the first equation:

ϕsl,v=11+MlSGsϕsl,mMsMsMs+Ml{displaystyle phi _{sl,v}={frac {1}{1+{frac {M_{l}SG_{s}}{phi _{sl,m}M_{s}}}{frac {M_{s}}{M_{s}+M_{l}}}}}}

So

ϕsl,v=11+SGsϕsl,mMlMs+Ml{displaystyle phi _{sl,v}={frac {1}{1+{frac {SG_{s}}{phi _{sl,m}}}{frac {M_{l}}{M_{s}+M_{l}}}}}}

Then since

ϕsl,m=MsMs+Ml=1−MlMs+Ml{displaystyle phi _{sl,m}={frac {M_{s}}{M_{s}+M_{l}}}=1-{frac {M_{l}}{M_{s}+M_{l}}}}

we conclude that

ϕsl,v=11+SGs(1ϕsl,m−1){displaystyle phi _{sl,v}={frac {1}{1+SG_{s}({frac {1}{phi _{sl,m}}}-1)}}}

where

ϕsl,v{displaystyle phi _{sl,v}} is the solids fraction of the slurry on a volumetric basis

ϕsl,m{displaystyle phi _{sl,m}} is the solids fraction of the slurry on a mass basis

Ms{displaystyle M_{s}} is the mass or mass flow of solids in the sample or stream

Msl{displaystyle M_{sl}} is the mass or mass flow of slurry in the sample or stream

Ml{displaystyle M_{l}} is the mass or mass flow of liquid in the sample or stream komi

SGs{displaystyle SG_{s}} is the bulk specific gravity of the solids

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Slurry.

• Grout


• Slurry pipeline


• Slurry transport

References

External links

Look up slurry in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Bonapace, A.C. A General Theory of the Hydraulic Transport of Solids in Full Suspension
  


• Ravelet, F., Bakir, F., Khelladi, S., Rey, R. (2012). Experimental study of hydraulic transport of large particles in horizontal pipes. Experimental thermal and fluid science.
  


• Ming, G., Ruixiang, L., Fusheng, N., Liqun, X. (2007). Hydraulic Transport of Coarse Gravel—A Laboratory Investigation Into Flow Resistance.
  

This article needs additional or more specific categories. Please help out by adding categories to it so that it can be listed with similar articles. (August 2018)