Clogging in constricted suspension flows

TL;DR

This study investigates clogging phenomena in charged suspension flows through constricted channels, revealing similarities to dry granular systems and identifying conditions for uninterrupted flow based on particle and channel properties.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental analysis of clogging in charged suspensions, showing how particle interactions and channel size influence flow regimes and clog formation.

Findings

Clogs form randomly as arches when D/d<3.

Clogging statistics are Poissonian and match a stochastic model.

Uninterrupted flow occurs for D/d>3, even at high volume fractions.

Abstract

The flow of a charged-stabilized suspension through a single constricted channel is studied experimentally by tracking the particles individually. Surprisingly, the behavior is found to be qualitatively similar to that of inertial dry granular systems: For small values of the neck-to-particle size ratio (D/d<3), clogs form randomly as arches of particle span the constriction. The statistics of the clogging events are Poissonian as reported for granular systems and agree, for moderate particle volume fraction ($\phi\approx20\%$), with a simple stochastic model for the number of particles at the neck. For larger neck sizes (D/d>3), even at the largest $\phi$ ($\approx60\%$) achievable in the experiments, an uninterrupted particle flow is observed, which resembles that of an hourglass. This particularly small value of D/d at the transition to a practically uninterrupted flow is attributed to the low effective friction between the particles, achieved by the particle's functionalization and lubrication.