The subject of the research was limestone hydromixture consisting of particles of a mean size of 45.5 μm conveyed by water in a pipeline of a total length of 632 m. In the paper, the results of rheological measurements of tested hydromixtures after the application of deflocculant consisting of waste product from the lime production process in the form of mineral particles and commonly known dispersant were presented. Calculations of pressure drop including hydromixtures with volume concentrations in the range of 21.30–50.00%, and density ranging from 1140–1410 kg/m³ in a pipeline of 200 mm diameter are presented. A decrease in friction losses in the flow in the pipeline of hydromixtures with different mass concentrations after the addition of deflocculant was observed. The study revealed that the addition of deflocculant resulted in a reduction of friction in the pipeline, enabling the pumping of hydromixtures with twice higher solids concentrations than originated from industrial installation, with a lower volumetric flow rate. This resulted in a decrease of the power consumption of the motor driving the pump, and obtained significant energy savings in the hydromixture transport process. The maximum energy saving achieved was equal to 58%.

The paper presents a proposal to reduce the cost of the pipeline transport of hydromixture in the lime production process. The purpose of the research was to reduce the energy and water demand during the flow of lime hydromixture with a deflocculant of a specific composition in a selected...

The paper presents experimental studies on influence of two arbitrary chosen additives on wall shear stress in hydromixture, which consists solid particles of averaged diameter 0.05 mm. Experiments were performed for two mass concentration of solids equal to 20% and 43%. Measurements were performed for varied doses of deflocculants in three different proportions in wide range of shear rates. Experiments confirmed influence of chosen additives on decreasing hydromixture viscosity and as a consequence decreasing of shear stresses. The analysed process is complex and strongly depends on doses of deflocculants and solids concentration. However, the rheological property of such mineral suspension is complex and there is no single parameter that can solely explain it. Physical and chemical properties affect on the level of interparticle interaction or aggregation and therefore it is useful to control them in industrial process such as transportation of slurries.

The paper presents a method for improving the lime production process by increasing the efficiency of the lime slurry transport that occurs in it. The aim of the study was to reduce the energy demand of the pump installed in the discharge line. The presented solution consists of applying an additive called deflocculant to the transported slurry in order to reduce its viscosity while increasing the concentration of solids content. The deflocculant applied to the slurry is composed of waste material from the lime slaking process and an environmentally neutral chemical substance in the form of sodium-water glass. The rheological studies conducted confirm the positive effect of the selected deflocculant on the properties of the slurry tested. As a result of the analysis, it has been shown that the proposed solution has a substantial effect on reducing the friction factor of the transported slurry, thus reducing the energy consumption in the investigated process.