Pressure Fluctuation Caused by Dune Structures in Hydraulic Solid Transport Pipe Flow

This paper presents an experimental investigation on flow pressure fluctuation caused by dune formation during hydraulic solid transportation in horizontal pipelines. Digital photography was employed to study the morphologic characteristics of sand bed transportation with corresponding time based pressure measurement obtained using a pressure transducer. Combined, these experimental results characterized the interaction between dune formation and flow pressure fluctuation. With dune structures formed, significant pressure fluctuation was detected. These measurements combined with previous studies on dune flow field contribute to the fundamental insights into the physics of dune mode hydraulic solid transport flow in a closed conduit.