At the 2024th Geotechnical Engineering Research Conference, held from July 7rd to 23th, 25, graduate student Masaru Kawai of our university won the Outstanding Paper Presenter Award.

【Winner】
Yu Kawai (Graduate School of Marine Science and Technology Department of Marine Resources and Environmental Studies Master's Program 2Years）

[Title of award-winning research]
Influences of curved pipes of falling head flow test on measured viscous characteristics of carrier material
(Effect of bent pipes on head-shift flow tests to investigate the viscous properties of transport media)

[Details of award-winning research]
Research results on the development of a test method to examine the viscosity characteristics of viscous fluids used in the lifting of seabed mineral resources
In the case of marine mineral resources (e.g., hydrothermal deposits and manganese nodules), ores need to be transported (lifted) from the ocean depth of over 1000 meters. A carrier material (CM) circulation system has been proposed to improve the transport efficiency and environmental friendliness of this ore lifting. In evaluating the transport efficiency, it is important to evaluate the viscous properties of the CM (the relationship between shear stress and shear rate). Currently, rotational viscometers are commonly used to measure the viscosity of Newtonian fluids, but CM is difficult to measure because it contains sand particles. To solve this problem, we developed a new tube-type viscometer called the variable head flow test (FHFT), which can be used for both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids containing solid particles. In this paper, we report an experimental study on the effect of bends in the pipe on the measurement results.

From left: Professor Kazuo Tani, Masaru Kawai

<Related links>
Japan Geotechnical Society
59rd Geotechnical Engineering Research Presentation
List of winners of the 59th Geotechnical Engineering Research Symposium Outstanding Paper Presentation Award