Drag reduction of dense fine-grained slurries

Attractive and repulsive forces acting in the slurry due to different ions absorbed on surface of fine particles, especially colloidal ones, strongly affect the flow behaviour of highly concentrated fine-grained slurries. The attractive forces between the fine-grained solid particles initiate the coagulation process, which gives rise to voluminous aggregates where a large amount of water is fixed. A modification of the physical-chemical environment of the slurry by addition of a peptizing agent produces repulsive forces between particles. They result in destruction of the aggregates, water originally fixed in the aggregates is liberated, the viscous friction can play a larger role in the slurry, which is liquefied. To prove these process three different kaolin-water mixtures were tested with an overpressure capillary viscometer, rotational viscometer, and experimental pipeline loop. The effect of two peptizing agents and their concentration was investigated. It was demonstrated that even very low concentration of peptizing agent results in a significant reduction in the apparent viscosity and in the yield stress.