Particle Settling in Sheared non-Newtonian Fluids

A key unanswered question is how the settling rate of large particles is related to the rheology of the fluid and the local shear in the particle vicinity. In this study, a numerical investigation of large particle settling in un-sheared and sheared non-Newtonian fluids is presented. The particle settling rate increases with increasing imposed shear and with increasing shear thinning. For power-law and Herschel-Bulkley fluid rheology model, a criterion proposed for estimating the settling velocity under shear that can be used to provide estimates of particle settling under transport and the likely distance before complete stratification under laminar flow.