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Process Design

Pulp / Slurry Volumetric Flow Calculator

This calculator converts a dry solids mass flow into a slurry volumetric flow — the feeder calculation that produces the slurry m³/h used to size pumps, pipes, flotation cells, and thickeners. From the dry solids rate (t/h), the percent solids by mass, the solids specific gravity, and the liquid density (default 1000 kg/m³ for water), it returns the slurry mass flow, the liquid mass flow, the solids and liquid volume flows, the slurry volumetric flow (their sum), and the slurry density as a cross-check. The slurry-density relationship is exactly the one used elsewhere in the ProcessConvert slurry engine: ρ_slurry = 1 / (Xs/ρ_s + (1−Xs)/ρ_L). It is a preliminary, formula-based, educational two-phase mass/volume balance on measured data. It does NOT model rheology, settling, particle size, entrained air, or pipeline pressure drop, and it is not a slurry-pipeline design tool. Final design requires representative, reconciled stream data and qualified review.

TypeInteractive engineering calculator

Calculator

t/h

dry solids mass flow

wt%

percent solids by mass (0–100)

SG

solids density ÷ 1000 (e.g. 2.70)

kg/m³

default 1000 (water)

Result
Slurry volumetric flow187.037 m³/h
Slurry mass flow250 t/h
Liquid mass flow150 t/h
Solids volume flow37.037 m³/h
Liquid volume flow150 m³/h
Slurry density (cross-check)1336.63 kg/m³
  • !Preliminary two-phase mass/volume balance only — slurry volumetric flow from measured dry tonnage, % solids by mass, solids SG, and liquid density. The slurry density is the cross-check against the slurry-density engine.
  • !It does NOT model rheology, settling, particle size, entrained air, or pipeline pressure drop, and it is not a slurry-pipeline design tool. Use measured, representative stream data and qualified review for design.

Preliminary, formula-based two-phase mass/volume balance that converts dry tonnage and percent solids into a slurry volumetric flow, with the slurry density returned as a cross-check against the slurry-density engine. Not a rheology, settling, particle-size, or slurry-pipeline design tool. Final design requires measured, representative stream data and qualified review.

Related: Pulp Density & Percent Solids Explained · Flotation Cell Capacity · Slurry Density · Slurry Solids · Hydromet & Slurry Calculations

Formulas

Slurry mass flow
ṁ_slurry = ṁ_s / Cw
Liquid mass flow
ṁ_L = ṁ_slurry − ṁ_s
Solids volume flow
V_s = ṁ_s / ρ_s (ρ_s = 1000 × SG)
Liquid volume flow
V_L = ṁ_L / ρ_L
Slurry volumetric flow
Q = V_s + V_L
Slurry density (cross-check)
ρ_slurry = ṁ_slurry / Q

Diagram

Pulp / slurry volumetric flow — two-phase mass and volume balance from dry tonnage and percent solidsdry solids (t/h)liquidslurryslurry flow Q (m³/h)Q = ṁ_s/ρ_s + ṁ_L/ρ_Lρ_slurry = slurry mass / Q (cross-check)two-phase mass/volume balance — not a pipeline-design tool

Worked example

A stream carries 100 t/h of dry solids at 40 wt% solids; the solids SG is 2.70 and the liquid is water (1000 kg/m³). Find the slurry mass and volume flows and the slurry density.

  1. 01Slurry mass flow: ṁ_slurry = 100 / 0.40 = 250.00 t/h
  2. 02Liquid mass flow: 250 − 100 = 150.00 t/h
  3. 03Solids volume flow: 100 000 kg/h ÷ 2700 kg/m³ = 37.04 m³/h
  4. 04Liquid volume flow: 150 000 kg/h ÷ 1000 kg/m³ = 150.00 m³/h
  5. 05Slurry volumetric flow: 37.04 + 150.00 = 187.04 m³/h
  6. 06Slurry density: 250 000 ÷ 187.04 = 1336.63 kg/m³ (= 1/(0.40/2700 + 0.60/1000), engine-consistent)
Result

Slurry 250.00 t/h and 187.04 m³/h at 1336.63 kg/m³ — a preliminary two-phase mass/volume balance, not a pipeline-design result.

FAQ

How is slurry volumetric flow calculated from dry tonnage?
The dry solids rate divided by the mass fraction of solids gives the slurry mass flow; subtracting the solids gives the liquid mass flow. Each phase is converted to a volume flow by dividing by its density (solids by 1000×SG, liquid by the liquid density), and the two volumes are summed to give the slurry volumetric flow in m³/h.
How is this different from the slurry-solids calculator?
The slurry-solids calculator splits a stream by MASS (solids, liquid, and slurry mass flows) and explicitly does not return a volumetric flow or a slurry density. This calculator adds the volume side: it converts each phase to a volume flow and sums them to a slurry m³/h, with the slurry density as a cross-check. It is the dry-tonnage → slurry-volumetric-flow feeder the mass-only calculator does not provide.
Why does the calculator also show a slurry density?
As a cross-check. The slurry density computed as slurry mass ÷ slurry volume must equal the value from the standard two-phase relationship ρ_slurry = 1/(Xs/ρ_s + (1−Xs)/ρ_L) used across the slurry-density calculators. In the worked example both give 1336.63 kg/m³, confirming the volume balance is consistent with the slurry-density engine.
What percent solids basis does this use?
Percent solids by MASS (weight percent). If you have percent solids by volume, convert it first (see the Percent Solids Mass ↔ Volume calculator). The SG is the solids specific gravity (solids density ÷ 1000), so SG 2.70 corresponds to a solids density of 2700 kg/m³.
Can I use a liquid density other than water?
Yes. The liquid density defaults to 1000 kg/m³ (water) but you can enter a corrected value for a denser process liquor or brine. The calculator does not itself correct for dissolved species — supply the liquid density already corrected if that matters for your stream.

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