Experimental Study of Flow Characteristics and Changes in Density Concentration in Two-Phase (Liquid-Solid) Fluid Systems

Indonesia is a country prone to hydrological disasters, with high potentials to mud flows in some areas. The mud flows need to be channeled to the appropriate place, and the piping system is one of the best alternatives. Through this research, the analysis of flow characteristics and changes in the density concentration in two-phase (liquid-solid) fluid systems is presented. One-inch diameter transparent PVC pipe was used as the test pipe. The pressure drop, experimental friction factor, and Reynolds number on the experimental variables show an interesting relation between the variables. At 10% ratio of liquid-solid discharge, the flow discharge ranges from 0.00000800 m³/s to 0.00001817 m³/s, while at 100% ratio, the discharge reaches 0.00002133 m³/s. The ratios of liquid-solid discharge ratio of 10% to 100% have influences on increasing pressure reduction (∆P). At increasing density from 1000 to 1010 (at mixture ratios of 10% to 20%), the pressure drop (∆P) also tends to increase. At 10%, the f value ranges from 0.0005004 to 0.0011364, where the experimental friction factor tends to be lower than the theoretical friction factor.