Non-Newtonian (purely viscous) fluid flow through packed beds: effect of particle shape

Abstract

The effect of particle shape on the flow of purely viscous type non-Newtonian fluids through beds of non-spherical particles has been investigated experimentally. Extensive pressure drop measurements are reported for scores of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids through beds of three different types of packing materials (two sizes of Raschig rings and one size of gravel chips). It is established that the widely used Ergun equation provides a satisfactory representation of data for non-Newtonian fluids also if a volume equivalent diameter and a sphericity factor are used to account for non-spherical shape of particles. The experimental results reported herein encompass the following ranges of conditions: 0.0016<Re<400; 0.49<n<1.0, and 0.472<ε<0.704.