Numerical investigation and correlation development for pressure drop in pneumatic conveying through blinded T-bends

Accurate pressure drop prediction is crucial for pneumatic conveying system design. This study numerically investigates pressure drop in gas-solid flow through pipelines with blinded T-bends using a four-way coupled Eulerian-Eulerian approach. Three-dimensional simulations were conducted for pipe diameters of 54 and 70 mm, four T-bend lengths, and fly-ash particles (25–250 μm). Pressure drop prediction is validated against experimental data. Pressure drop initially increased with particle diameter, then decreased. Pressure drop increases with increase in particle density, solid volume fraction, gas velocity, and solid loading rate but decreases with increase in pipe diameter. Increasing the blinded leg length-to-pipe diameter ratio from 0.5 to 1.5 results in an increase in pressure drop, while further increasing it to 2 leads to a decrease. This decrease is approximately 10 % for dilute flows and 40 % for dense flows. A correlation for solid phase friction factor in blinded T-bends is proposed for practical applications.