Clogging in constricted suspension flows

The flow of a charged-stabilized suspension through a single constricted channel is studied experimentally by tracking the particles individually. Surprisingly, the behavior is found to be qualitatively similar to that of inertial dry granular systems: For small values of the neck-to-particle size ratio (D/d < 3), clogs form randomly as arches of the particle span the constriction. The statistics of the clogging events are Poissonian as reported for granular systems and agree for moderate particle volume fraction (phi approximate to 20%) with a simple stochastic model for the number of particles at the neck. For larger neck sizes (D/d > 3), even at the largest phi (approximate to 60%) achievable in the experiments, an uninterrupted particle flow is observed, which resembles that of an hourglass. This particularly small value of D/d (similar or equal to 3) at the transition to a practically uninterrupted flow is attributed to the low effective friction between the particles, achieved by the particle's functionalization and lubrication.