Modeling thixotropic break-down behavior of dense anaerobically digested sludge

Abstract Mixing and homogenization in anaerobic digesters are affected by the flow curve of sludge. The aim of this study is to mathematically express the flow curve of dense anaerobically digested sludge behaving as thixotropic and pseudoplastic fluids. Time-dependent changes in two pseudoplastic parameters, i.e., consistency index (µ p) and pseudoplastic index (n), by shear are modeled using a second-order kinetic equation with a coefficient that includes the power function of the shear strain rate. The calculated results are consistent with the experimental results. The kinetic parameters that yielded the ultimate values after shearing were associated with the sludge concentration, unlike the other kinetic parameters.