Abstract If variability of input data for rheological measurements is not adequately included, their associated uncertainty and subsequent modelling can be underrated. Mineral pulp rheology determination is commonly done through triplicate tests, with such variability reported as multiples of a standard deviation, with the potential for underestimation. In the present work, a novel statistically-based methodology for the estimation of uncertainty in the rheological characterization of mineral suspensions —and other parametric models— is proposed. From the variability of the experimental measurements and the analytical propagation of errors, a set of rheological profiles are generated using Monte Carlo simulations within a variability frame. The corresponding inverse problem for curve-fitting is solved individually, resulting in distributions of fitted parameters, which were statistically-analyzed to obtain representative values for both the parameter and its true variability. The methodology proposed herein has been used to explore the applicability and limitations of the Herschel-Bulkley and Bingham models under specific experimental and data analysis protocols, where the relevance of including low-shear-rate measurement points or yield stress measurements using alternative methods is exposed. Additionally, we present a case study on the effect of the concentration of NaCl on the rheological response of synthetic tailings consisting of quartz suspensions doped with kaolinite, bentonite and kaolinite-bentonite blends, using the proposed methodology with a concentric cylinder rheometer. Results show predominantly decreasing trends in yield stress as salt concentration increases, with non-monotonical behavior and strongest variability associated to the quartz-bentonite blend.

中文翻译：

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一种新的基于统计的矿物加工流变参数可变性评估方法

摘要 如果流变测量输入数据的可变性没有被充分包括在内，那么它们相关的不确定性和随后的建模就会被低估。矿浆流变学测定通常通过三次重复测试完成，这种可变性报告为标准偏差的倍数，可能会被低估。在目前的工作中，提出了一种新的基于统计的方法，用于估计矿物悬浮液流变学特征和其他参数模型的不确定性。根据实验测量的可变性和误差的分析传播，在可变性框架内使用蒙特卡罗模拟生成了一组流变学曲线。曲线拟合的相应逆问题单独解决，导致拟合参数的分布，对其进行统计分析以获得参数及其真实变异性的代表值。本文提出的方法已被用于探索 Herschel-Bulkley 和 Bingham 模型在特定实验和数据分析协议下的适用性和局限性，其中暴露了使用替代方法包括低剪切率测量点或屈服应力测量的相关性. 此外，我们还介绍了 NaCl 浓度对由掺杂高岭石、膨润土和高岭石-膨润土混合物的石英悬浮液组成的合成尾矿流变响应影响的案例研究，使用所提出的方法和同心圆柱流变仪。