Reynolds-Scaled Sediment Deposition Regimes in Pressurized Pipes

Abstract

This study develops a Reynolds-scaled framework to characterize sediment deposition regimes in pressurized pipes under turbulent flow. Laboratory experiments were conducted over Reynolds numbers from 1.3×10⁴ to 6.2×10⁴, and deposition volume was normalized by pipe diameter to enable geometric independence. Log–log regression reveals a strong inverse velocity–deposition relationship (R2 ≈ 0.995), with an exponent of 1.78 consistent with shear-dominated scaling. The Reynolds-based formulation provides regime interpretability, and the segmented regression identifies transition thresholds at  ≈ 32000 and 41000. Re values divide the flow into delineating settling-dominated, transitional suppression, and turbulence-dominated regimes. Multivariable regression shows reduced explanatory power. This behavior indicates collinearity between velocity and Reynolds number. Results from Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis showed narrow confidence bounds across simulations with a consistent suppressive trend. The proposed framework provides a practical approach for predicting sediment self-cleansing pressurized conduit systems, with integrated turbulence scaling and hydraulic interpretability.