Analysis and Research on the Flow Characteristics of Ice-Containing Filling Slurry Based on the Population Balance Model

In practical engineering applications, the cold storage functional backfill cooling system is prone to pipe clogging due to the agglomeration and crushing effects of the components of the ice particle-containing filling slurry. In addition, the fluidity of the slurry becomes more complex due to the change in the particle size distribution (PSD) during the pipeline transportation of the filling slurry, which limits the practical application effectiveness of the system. In order to promote the application and sustainable development of mining solid waste resources, a CFD–PBM coupling model was established to simulate the flow of the ice-containing filling slurry in horizontal circular tubes. On this basis, the effects of the initial ice content, inlet flow rate, initial particle size of tailings, and filling slurry concentration on the caking phenomenon during pipeline transportation were analyzed. The distribution of the pressure drop along the pipeline was also analyzed and calculated. The results show that the higher the flow velocity, the lower the slurry concentration, the larger the tailings’ particle size, the lower the ice content, and the lower the likelihood of agglomeration during transportation of the filling slurry.