Fluid flow characterization with tube viscometer data

Pressure gradients and the corresponding mass flow rates of five different non-Newtonian fluid foods: 1% solutions of sodium alginate and CMC, 1.5% CM C solution, two different tomato ketchups, oyster sauce, in four different diameter stainless steel tubes ranging from 7.51 to 16.34 mm i.d. were reco rded using a tube viscometer capable of operating in both transient and con tinuous flow modes. The flow was confined to the laminar flow regime and ap preciable slippage occurred in all cases. Power law parameters for the tube flow obtained from the plots of wall shear stress versus apparent wall she ar rate are presented for various time-independent fluids in different diam eter tubes in original and slip-corrected forms. Such experimental data sho uld prove useful in developing an understanding of flow characterization of non-Newtonian fluids. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.