Prediction of spherical particle motion in a viscous liquid-filled tube under transient pulsed loading

The inertial migration of solid particulate deposits in petroleum and chemical pipelines has been a significant focus of tube transportation research; however, the dynamic response of these deposits under transient impacts, such as earthquakes and mechanical vibrations, remains to be further investigated. This study addresses high-viscosity particle-laden flows, where velocity-based analysis proves challenging, by establishing transient pulsed loading experiments to analyze the impact of relevant parameters on particle motion dynamics. The research findings demonstrate that the inertial motion of the particle is characterized predominantly by sliding rather than rolling, and the influence of reduced particle diameter on motion response exhibits a threshold effect. Meanwhile, liquid viscosity shows an inverse proportion to particle displacement. By analyzing the transient variations in drag coefficient, a predictive formulation was developed and subsequently applied to solve the non-steady-state particle motion equations. The proposed equation, validated through numerical simulations, demonstrates effective predictive capabilities for the responses of spherical particles under transient pulsed loading. Furthermore, this research elucidates the dynamic response mechanism of spherical particles subjected to transient pulsed loading, guiding the prediction of inertial migration in high-viscosity particle-laden flows under impact conditions and informing the optimization of tube design.