Abstract
Ice pigging is the process of pumping high ice fraction slurry through ducts to aid in cleaning and the removal of fouling materials. The process results in high pressure losses across the length of the ‘ice pig’ due to increased wall shear. Applications for ice pigging in narrow tubes (of the order 1-10 mm in diameter) have been identified in the beverage dispensing sector as well as in medical facilities. With an increased surface area to volume ratio over larger diameter pipes, one of the challenges with ice pigging in narrow tubes is that of increased melting rate leading to reduced effectiveness of the ice pig.
This paper presents experimental work investigating the pressure drop produced by ice slurry when passing through a narrow tube held at constant temperature. These experimental pressure drop data are presented as a function of velocity and of ice fraction. A simple numerical model is used to determine the melting rate of a finite volume of ice pig as it passes through a tube which, when combined with pressure drop data, can give an approximation of the cleaning ability of the ice slurry. In addition, limited experimental qualitative data indicating the cleaning value of the ice pig relative to water flushing from previous work are also presented.
| Translated title of the contribution | Thermal Hydraulic performance of ice pigging in narrow tubes |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Title of host publication | UKHT2011, The 12th UK National Heat Transfer Conference, Leed, 30 Aug - 01 Sept |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Publication status | Published - 31 Aug 2011 |
Bibliographical note
Medium/genre: Refereed Conference paper, presentation at ConferenceConference Organiser: UK National Heat Transfer Conference