Hydrotransport Lab

Experimental Hydraulics of Biomass Slurry Pipelines

This project uses NIU’s closed-circuit pipeline facility to quantify pressure losses and operating limits for biomass–water slurries while systematically varying pipe diameter, pipe material, slurry temperature, and slurry characteristics. The loop alternates 3.0 ft test sections with 1.0, 1.5 and 3.0 in diameters made from schedule 40 stainless steel, instrumented with flush-diaphragm pressure transmitters and PLC-based acquisition to generate design-grade ∆P/L datasets across woodchips, sawdust, and wheat straw conditions. Temperature effects are mapped over 8–60°C using a 25,000 BTU/hr cooling system to support realistic transport scenarios and to inform heating/thermal integration concepts.

Drag Reduction and Plug Formation in Fibrous Slurries (PIV)

This project explains and measures the drag-reduction behavior observed in fibrous biomass slurries, where increasing concentration can reduce pressure gradients relative to water, by directly visualizing plug formation and fiber organization under high-shear pipe flow. A dedicated visualization loop uses clear acrylic sections and a controlled fiber system (nylon fibers, 20 μm diameter and 2 cm length; 2%–12% volume fractions) imaged with an Nd:YAG laser (Photonics Industries DM20) and a high-speed camera (PROMON U750; AOS) to extract velocity fields and plug metrics using MATLAB-based image processing, enabling mechanistic correlations between flow structure and pressure-loss behavior for agricultural residues.

Pump, Deposition, and Reliability Engineering for Biomass Slurries

This project generates pump-selection and reliability guidance for biomass slurry pipelines by measuring head, power, and efficiency while transporting biomass slurries and by quantifying deposition behavior relevant to clogging and restart risk. The work evaluates a centrifugal recessed-impeller pump and compares it to a progressive cavity pump (to be acquired) using suction/discharge pressure measurements and a watt transducer, and it couples these results with a high-frequency impedancemetry approach to determine deposition velocity for sawdust slurries (10–25% dry matter) across low-velocity regimes (0.05–0.25 m/s). The outcome is evidence-based guidance for pump type, operating windows, and booster-station considerations for chips and fibrous/particulate biomass slurries.

Eastport, Maine 10-Mile Woodchips Export Pipeline Feasibility

This project delivers a real-world feasibility and implementation-oriented assessment of a 10-mile pipeline transporting 350,000 Mt/year of woodchips from Perry to the deep-water port of Eastport, Maine, motivated by road-access constraints and strong resistance to heavy truck traffic through Passamaquoddy Tribe land. The study compares pipeline versus trucking (a single 35,000 Mt vessel load requiring ~1,296 truck-loads and ~2,592 trips/month), evaluates corridor and rights considerations, develops constructability and preconstruction estimates with schedule, and integrates export readiness needs such as phytosanitation and heating strategies (including evaluation of heating at slurry stations versus during transfer and the potential to combine pumping and heating functions).

• Mixing vessel: 45 Gallon Cone Bottom Tank with Mixer Mounts & 2" FPT Bulkhead Fitting Package
• Agitator: 2 HP, Centrally Placed
• Pump: (1) Centrifuge Slurry Pump, 2K2x2R-10C Mark 3 Recessed Impeller, (2) Progressive Cavity Pump, Continental Model 2CL10h-CDQ
• Electromotor: 40 HP, 3600 RPM, 230/460 TEFC 324TS LEESON
• Variable Frequency Drive: 1/2 HP VFD, single phase AC 220V±15%
• Flowmeter: Electromagnetic flowmeter, Promag W 400, 5W4C50, DN50 2”
• flush-diaphragm Pressure Transmitter: Viatran 386ANGBHVR
• High Speed Camera: PROMON U750, Monochrome Camera, Resolution 1280 x 1024 pixel with 203 frames/sec (640 x 480 pixel with 750 frames/sec)
• Data Acquisition System: Productivity 2000
• Watt Transducer: PC5, Three Phase, Three Wire, 50/60 Hz, Accuracy + 0.5% F.S

Biomass Transport Feasibility Studies

• Empirical modeling and lab-scale experimental studies on biomass-water slurry transport
• Rheological analysis and flow visualization with Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV)
• Cost modeling for pipeline construction and operation​

Equipment Testing and Design

• Testing pressure drop, erosion, and corrosion in pipelines​ (see Pipeline Hydro-transportation Lab Equipment)
• Slurry structure studies in pipe bends and elbows​ (see Pipeline Hydro-transportation Lab Equipment)