Stochastic Characteristics of Slurry Flow in Underground Coal Slurry Haulage Systems

This article summarizes some of the results of the continuing research activity at the Henry Krumb Schools of Mines, Columbia University, directed towards a better understanding of the stochastic behavior of slurry flows in underground coal-slurry pipeline systems. Fundamental ideas supported by field observations are presented and a Semi-Markov model of the slurry flows is developed. As a result of this formulation, behavior of combined slurry flows from N independent coal faces can be expressed in analytical form. The contents of a slurry surge tank receiving slurry flows with certain stochastic characteristics is investigated in a function of discharge pump characteristics and time.