  Understanding the flow behavior of complex concentrated slurries is of
tremendous importance for industrial waste management. In this study, the
transport of three-phase oil sands tailings in a horizontal pipeline is
simulated via the mixture multiphase model coupled with the kinetic theory of
granular flow. The solid particles and bitumen droplets are conveyed via a
non-Newtonian carrier fluid in a turbulent regime inside an industrial-scale
pipeline. The simulation results showed exceptional agreement with the field
data, with errors of <3.5% for velocity distribution and <15% for the pressure
drop. A systematic parametric investigation was performed for a wide range of
flow conditions, showing that the majority of bitumen droplets reside at the
top region of the pipe. Our findings may help design an effective process for
the separation of bitumen residues during pipeline transport.
