The Fluid Mechanics of Capsule Pipelines : 1st Report, Analysis of the Required Pressure Drop for Hydraulic and Pneumatic Capsules

Abstract

This paper presents a study on the flow characteristics of capsule transportation. Especially, a method is presented for predicting the pressure drop required to move cylindrical solid capsules steadily and to suspend them freely in pipeline. For this prediction, an analytical method based on a study of multi-phase mixtures is proposed and it is confirmed that the present method is very useful for both hydraulic and pneumatic capsules. During the experimental and theoretical work, we can derive a general formula of the required pressure drop which has an inherent value for each of various conditions of capsule pipelining. In this paper, a detailed comparison of capsule transport with hydraulic transport of solids is also made.