Onset of turbulence in particle-laden pipe flows

We propose a scaling law for the onset of turbulence in pipe flow of neutrally buoyant suspensions. This scaling law, based on a large set of experimental data, relates the amplitude of the particle-induced perturbations ε to the critical suspension Reynolds number Res,c. Here ε is a function of the particle-to-pipe diameter ratio and the volume...

Suspension dynamics in transitional pipe flow

Particle-laden pipe flows exhibit a gradual laminar-turbulent transition, beyond a critical volume fraction (φ). While classical transition behavior is characterized by the presence of turbulent puffs, this intermittent nature is absent for particle-induced transition. For small pipe-to-particle diameter ratios (D/d) even dilute systems...