Analysis of the Effect of Slurry Concentration and Height on Sedimentation Characteristics of Kaolin-Water Mixture

D.S. Corpuz, J.L. de Guzman and J.M. Golbin

Department of Chemical Engineering, University of the Philippines-Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines

D.S. Corpuz, J.L. de Guzman and J.M. Golbin, 2008. Theoretical discussions predict that initial slurry concentration and height
affect the sedimentation characteristics, particularly settling time and settling velocity. From experimental data, it was shown that
the settling velocity of a mixture decreases with increasing concentration, yet reverses trend in the compression settling zone; and
settling time needed to reach the final height increases with increasing initial slurry height.

Keywords: compression settling, critical settling point, drag force, free settling, hindered settling, rate-limiting layer Stokes Law, terminal
velocity

OBJECTIVES
The experiment aimed to observe the relationship of settling
time with slurry concentration, as well as with initial slurry
height. This experiment also intended to determine the behavior
of settling velocity as the sedimentation process proceeds. The
effect of slurry concentration with particle settling velocity was
also studied.
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
Sedimentation is one of the methods used in industry to separate
liquid-liquid or solid-liquid mixtures. By definition,
sedimentation is the separation of a dilute slurry or suspension
by gravity settling into a clear fluid and a slurry of higher solids
content (Geankoplis, 1993). The resulting liquid is essentially
particle free. In industry, either the particle free liquid or the
particles itself is the desired product. Basically, sedimentation is
the movement of particles through a fluid. All throughout its
motion, three forces act on the particle, namely, buoyant force,
gravitational force, and drag force (Geankoplis, 1993). Buoyant
force, Fb, is the upward force exerted by the fluid on the particle,
and is given by the equation
where m/ρp is the volume of the particle, ρ is the density of the
liquid, and g is the gravitational constant.
The gravitational force, Fg, on the particle is given by Newton’s
Law as
Equation 2 gives the terminal velocity for free settling wherein a
particle is at a sufficient distance away from the wall and other
particles (Geankoplis, 1993). In general, however, particles
experience hindered settling, that is, the velocity gradients
around each particle are affected by the presence of nearby
particles (McCabe, 2001). The drag force in hindered settling is
greater than in free settling because of the interference of the
other particles, thus the settling velocity for hindered settling is
less than that for free settling. (Geankoplis, 1993) The terminal
velocity becomes a function of ε, the volume fraction of the
slurry mixture occupied by the liquid. Several correlations have
been developed to analyze settling velocity for hindered settling,
and their methods and derivations are beyond the scope of this
experiment.
PROCEDURE
The experiment involves the analysis of the effect of varying the
height of the slurry and their concentrations on the
sedimentation properties. To determine the effect of initial slurry
height on sedimentation properties, three samples with the same
concentration of 2.5% kaolin-water solution were made. Initial
slurry of 800 mm, 600 mm and 400 mm were assigned. The
slurry inside the vessel was ensured to have a homogenous
characteristic by rigorously mixing and shaking the
sedimentation cylinders. Starting at the same, the mixtures were
allowed to settle, and at intervals of 2 minutes, the heights of the
clear regions of the three samples were recorded. Total
observation time was 2 hours.

The drag force, FD, is the frictional resistance related to the For the second part of the experiment, the effect of
velocity head of the fluid displaced by the moving body concentration on the sedimentation properties was analyzed. The
(Geankoplis, 1993) and is given by the equation volume (or height) of three new samples was made constant, and
their concentrations are varied (2.5%, 5%, 7.5%). The heights of
the clear regions were recorded with intervals of 2 minutes for
where CD is the dimensionless drag coefficient, and is the first two hours. The samples were left overnight and the last
velocity head. point was to be recorded at that period. For this experiment’s
The drag coefficient is a function of the Reynolds number. In the case, more than twenty-four hours was observed.
laminar flow region where NRe<1, Stokes’ Law dominates and
CD is given by (Geankoplis, 1993)
(1)
In sedimentation, the particles experience a period of accelerated
fall and a period of constant velocity fall (Geankoplis, 1993).
The constant velocity period is usually of more importance, as
the accelerated fall period is very short relative to the constant
velocity period. In the constant rate period, the particles reach a
maximum settling velocity known as the terminal velocity, vt.
The terminal velocity is determined by solving the velocity at
which the sum of the three forces is equal to zero. Geankoplis
gives the equation for the terminal velocity of spheres as
(2)
where Dp is the particle diameter.
RESULT AND ANALYSIS Clear Liquid Interface vs. Settling Time
(Varying Initial Heights)
90
The mechanism of solid settling from slurry can be best
80
observed in a glass cylinder as shown in Fig. 1 below.

Clear liquid interface height, z, cm

70
60 tube 1
tube 2
50
tube 3
40
30
20
10
0
0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00

Settling time, θ, hr

Fig. 2. Clear Liquid Interface vs. Settling Time

(same concentration, different initial heights)
Fig.1 . Batch Sedimentation (Source: McCabe, 2001)
Initially, the slurry is uniformly concentrated and the initial As discussed earlier and shown in Fig. 1, different zones appear
height is zo, as shown in Fig. 1a. The concentration of the slurry during sedimentation. Fig. 2 is a plot of the depth of the clear
is high enough that the particles affect each other’s rate of fall to zone versus time. The plot shows that during initial stages of
the extent that after a short time, all particles settle at the same sedimentation, the depth of the clear zone decreases at a
velocity and are assumed to approach rapidly the terminal constant rate as sedimentation goes along, as shown by the steep
velocities under hindered-settling conditions (Foust, 1980). The linear part of the plot. The plot also shows that the slope changes
concentration is high enough to cause settling as a matrix, that after a certain depth has been reached. The curve of the plot
is, the particles remain in a fixed position relative to each other during the later stages of sedimentation is almost horizontal yet
as they settle (www.cee.cornell.edu). Heavier solids settle faster, still almost linear. The part of the plot that is almost horizontal
thus forming zone D shown in Fig. 1b. Zone A is the region of represents the compression settling stage, wherein hindered
clear liquid (Foust, 1980). Zone B is a region of uniform settling dominates.
concentration which is essentially equal to the initial slurry
concentration (McCabe, 2001). In this zone, the particles settle
by free settling and at a uniform rate (Geankoplis, 1993). Zone
C is the transition region wherein the concentration is non-
uniform and the sizes of the particles are varied (Foust, 1980).
As sedimentation goes on, the depth of zone B decreases, the
depths of zone A and D increase, while that of zone C remains
constant, as shown in Fig. 1c (McCabe, 2001). Zone B
eventually disappears, and the solids in zone C and D merge
such that only zone D is distinct, as shown in Fig. 1d. During
this stage, the matrix of particles gets constrained from the
bottom because of the bottom of the settling tank. Such a
situation is called compression settling (www.cee.cornell.edu).
The moment (or height) at which zone B and C disappear and all Fig. 3. Getting the zone settling velocity
the solids appear in zone D is referred to as the critical settling (Source: www.ceeserver.cee.cornell.edu)
point. By definition, it is the point at which a single distinct
interface forms between the clear liquid and sediment (Foust,
As shown by Fig. 3, the settling velocity for the different regions
1980). Beyond the critical settling point, sedimentation occurs
can be determined from the plot of liquid interface height versus
by compression. The gradual accumulation of the upper particles
time. The slope of the steady interface subsidence rate represents
compress the solids at the bottom and decrease the height of
zone settling velocity.
zone D, and force the residual liquid in zone D out upward
through the solids into the clear liquid zone. The settling rates
during compression settling are very slow, and the rates may be Tube 1: Determination of Velocity
estimated using hindered settling computation methods. Fig. 1e
900
shows the end state of the sedimentation process, in which the
weight of the solid is balanced by the compressive strength 800
(McCabe, 2001). Sedimentation design and calculations are
700
Clear liquid interface height

based upon identifying the concentration of the layer having the

lowest capacity for the passage of solids through it. This 600
particular layer is called the rate-limiting layer, cL (Foust, 1980). 500

One of the objectives of this experiment is to determine the 400

effect of varying initial slurry heights (or volume) on the 300
sedimentation characteristics. Initially, the concentrations of the
three samples were kept constant and their initial height was 200
varied. The results for the first objective are presented first, 100
followed by the results for the varying concentration.
0
-20 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Settling time

Fig. 4. Determining the settling velocity

Fig. 4 shows the method used in this experiment to determine the nearer presence of the other particles slow each other’s
the settling velocities at different points. The slopes of the settling velocity. The velocity in the compression settling zone
tangent lines at each point, which is equal to the settling velocity is significantly less than that in the earlier region. Fig. 5 also
at the point, were determined. In equation, shows how the initial height (or volume) of the mixture affects
(3) the settling velocity of the mixture. The sample with the highest
initial height (namely, tube 1) had, in general, the fastest settling
The exact values of the settling velocities of each trial are shown
rates compared to rates of the other samples.
in the appendix.

From the y-intercept of the tangent lines in Fig. 4, the height zi

that the slurry would occupy at concentration cL is determined. Tube 1: Height vs. Time
The zi data can be used to determine the minimum concentration 900
cL at which boundary layer interferes, using the equation

Clear liquid interace height, z, cm

800
(4)
700
where co and zo are the initial concentration and height,
respectively. Exact values of cL are given in the appendix. 600
500
400
Settling velocity vs. Concentration
300
200

200 100
180 0
Settling Velocity (cm/hr)

160 0 20 40 60 80 100 120

140 Settling time, θ, hrs
120
100 Fig. 7. Getting the critical settling point
80
60 Additional information that can be determined from the z vs. θ
40 plot is the critical settling point, as illustrated in Fig. 7. The
20 critical point is the point where a single distinct interface forms
0 between the clear liquid and sediment can be obtained. At the
0.00 50.00 100.00 150.00 200.00 250.00 start of sedimentation, the solids have a concentration co and
free settling is observed. A tangent line is drawn at this part. On
Concentartion (g/L) the other hand, another linear behavior which is almost
horizontal is observed at the other end of the graph. A tangent
tube 2 tube 3 tube 1 line is also drawn at this part. These lines are extended until they
intersect. The angle between these two lines is measured and an
Fig. 5. Settling Velocity vs. Concentration angle bisector is used. The bisector is extended until it touches
(same height, different concentration) the curve. The point of intersection is the critical point. A
tangent line is made at the critical point. Extending this line
As the sedimentation process goes along, the concentration of gives the value of the concentration and time at the critical point.
the solids region increasingly becomes more concentrated (Foust, 1980)
because the solids are getting more compacted. As this happens,
the settling velocity decreases as the concentration increases, as Time to Critical Point vs. Initial Height
shown in Fig. 5. Notice that the velocity decreases at almost a
31
constant rate when the concentration is relatively low.
Time, mins

26
Settling Velocity vs. Settling Time
200 21

180 16
160 0 200 400 600 800 1000
140 Initial Height, mm
tube 1
Settling velocity, vt, cm/hr

120 Fig. 8. Time needed to reach critical point vs. Initial height
tube 2
100
tube 3
80 From Fig. 8, it is observed that the sample with the highest
60 volume (or height) takes longer to reach its critical point. The
40
main reason for this phenomenon is that the time to reach the
critical point would be influenced by the amount of sediment
20
that has to settle as it reaches the critical point. Generally, this is
0 the only effect of varying the height of the slurry can have.
0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 Initial height doesn’t necessarily affect the sedimentation rate.
Settling Time, θ, hr
For the second part of the experiment, the objective was to
Fig. 6. Settling Velocity vs. Settling Time
(same concentration, different initial heights)
determine the effect of initial concentration on sedimentation
characteristics. Three samples of kaolin-water slurry were made
with different concentration. It is expected that the rate of
Fig. 6 shows the trend of settling velocity as sedimentation goes descent of the solid-liquid interface is a function of local
along. It should be noted that there are regions wherein the concentration (Foust, 1980).
velocity is approximately constant. The settling velocity also
experiences significant change. It can be seen that the velocity
decreases as the sedimentation goes along, as is theoretically
expected. This is because the hindered settling region is
increasingly becoming more concentrated as time goes on and
 Height vs. Settling Time settling zone. The settling velocity used in Fig. 11 was
(Varying Initial Concentrations) computed using the method illustrated in Fig. 4.
100
90 It should be noted from Fig. 6 and Fig. 11 that the zone settling
7.50% velocity depends more on the initial concentration than on the
Clear liquid interface height, z, cm

80
5.00% initial height. The velocity of the particles are may be affected
70 by the wall of the cylindrical vessel used.
2.50%
60
50
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
40
30 Based on all the data and graphs gathered from this experiment,
20 it can be concluded that the initial concentration and height (or
10
volume) of the slurry affects its sedimentation characteristics. In
particular, increasing the initial height of the slurry would also
0
increase the settling time needed to reach the final height and
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 somewhat increase the settling velocity.
Settling time, θ, hours

Fig. 9. Clear Liquid Interface Height vs. Settling Time It can also be concluded that increasing the initial mixture
(same initial height, different concentrations) concentration decreases the settling velocity of the particles
before the compression settling zone. During the compression
settling zone, the higher concentrations would result to higher
As observed from the Fig. 9, evident differences in their plots
settling velocities.
are present. A linear behavior is observed at the start of
sedimentation although the sample with the highest initial
It was also observed that the sedimentation process obeyed
concentration flattened out the quickest.
Stokes Law, and that the drag force FD, Reynolds number NRe,
and terminal settling velocity vt behaved in a similar manner.
Settling velocity vs. Concentration
REFERENCES
180
Foust, A.S. (1980). Principles of Unit Operations. Singapore:
settling velocity (cm/hr)

160
140 John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte Ltd. pp. 629-636
120
100 Geankoplis, C.J. (1993). Transport Processes and Unit
80 Operations. Singapore: Prentice Hall. pp. 816-817, 820, 825
60
40 McCabe, W.L. (2001). Unit Operations of Chemical
20 Engineering. Singapore: McGraw-Hill Book Co. pp. 164, 168,
0
1039-1040
0.00 100.00 200.00 300.00
concentration (g/L) http://www.mineralco.net/kaolin/index.php. Retrieved February
29, 2008
5.50% 7.50% 2.50%
Fig. 10. Settling Velocity vs. Concentration http://ceeserver.cee.cornell.edu/jjb2/cee656/Sediment-lect.doc.
(same concentration, different height) Retrieved February 29, 2008

Settling Velocity vs Settling Time

(Varying Initial Concentrations)
200

7.50%
150
Settling Velocity, vt, cm/hr

5.00%
2.50%
100

50

0
Settling Time

Fig. 11. Settling Velocity vs. Settling Time

(same initial height, different concentrations)

In accordance with theory, the more concentrated sample had

lower settling velocity, as shown in Fig. 11. Greater number of
solids block the water below from rising up, thus the solids take
longer to settle down. However, as the particles reach the
compression settling zone, the trend is reversed, that is, the more
concentrated sample had faster settling velocity. This is
probably because the weight of the solids that compress the
particle matrix is the determining factor in the compression