FM 304: BATCH SETTLING OF SOLID SLURRIES

Objectives:
1.

Vertical Cylinders: Obtain the batch settling data for the given calcium
carbonate slurry (i.e.

the

settling rate versus concentration of slurry), and

demarcate the different settling regimes. (free settling and hindered settling)
2.

Tilted Cylinders: Obtain the batch settling data in the free settling regime for
different angles and check its agreement with PNK theory. Observe the flow patterns
during the settling.

Apparatus:
Vertical settling cylinder, inclined settling cylinder, glass rod, stop
watch

Reagents:
Water, Calcium Carbonate

Theory:
Introduction:
Settling is the process by which particulates settle to the bottom of a liquid and form
a sediment. Particles that experience a force, either due to gravity or due to centrifugal
motion will tend to move in a uniform manner in the direction exerted by that force. For
gravity settling, this means that the particles will tend to fall to the bottom of the vessel,
forming a slurry at the vessel base.

Figure.1 Forces acting on a particle during settling

For settling particles that are considered individually, i.e. dilute particle solutions, there are
two main forces enacting upon any particle. The primary force is an applied force, such as
gravity,
and a drag force that is due to the motion of the particle through the fluid. The applied force
is usually not affected by the particle's velocity, whereas the drag force is a function of the
particle velocity.
For a particle at rest no drag force will exhibited, which causes the particle to accelerate
due to the applied force. When the particle accelerates, the drag force acts in the direction
opposite
to the particle's motion, retarding further acceleration, in the absence of other forces drag
directly opposes the applied force. As the particle increases in velocity eventually the
drag force and the applied force will approximately equate, causing no further change in the
particle's velocity. This velocity is known as the terminal velocity, settling velocity or fall
velocity of the particle. This is readily measurable by examining the rate of fall of individual
particles.
The terminal velocity of the particle is affected by many parameters, i.e. anything that will
alter the particle's drag. Hence the terminal velocity is most notably dependent upon grain size,
the shape (roundness and sphericity) and density of the grains, as well as to the viscosity
and density of the fluid.

The behaviour of settling particles in slurry can be conveniently studied in small batch
experiments. The data is then useful for designing large scale settling tanks which have
a number of applications (e.g. clarification of waste water). The main information required for
design is the settling rate of the particles as a function of the system parameters such as particle
size and shape, concentration, geometry of the system, etc.
The effect of concentration on the settling slurry continuously increases with time. The
effect of geometry of the system on the settling rate can be significant. When the cylinder is
tilted, Boycott (1920) found that the settling rate increases due to shorter sedimentation path.
This phenomenon is known as the Boycott effect, and is used to enhance the rate of settling in
some applications.
(i)
Cylinders:

Vertical

Depending on the concentration of the slurry, two regimes of settling are possible, free
settling and hindered settling. As the name implies, in free settling, each particle
is
unaffected by the motion of the neighboring ones and its terminal velocity is given
by

- - - - - - (a)
*All above equations are valid
Reynolds no. Re < 1.
Where p and are the densities

- - - - - - (b)

only for

- - - - - - (c)

of the

particle and the suspending

respectively, Dp is the diameter of the particle, CD
And particle Reynolds no.

medium
- - - - - (d)

is the drag coefficient

The model assumed for describing Free Settling, has some limitations in practical
application. Such as the interaction of particles in the fluid, or the interaction of the
particles with the container walls can modify the settling behavior. Settling that has
these forces in appreciable magnitude is known as hindered settling.
In the hindered settling regime due to particle-particle interactions and up draft of liquid,
the velocity of individual particles is considerably smaller. The settling velocity ( US) may be
estimated by an empirical equation of the form.
- - - - - - - - (e)
where, is the
of the fluid and n is a constant.

volume fraction

The void fraction can be calculated as = 1- C/p - - - - - - (f)

In this case the following bulk values of density (b) and viscosity (b) are used instead of
liquid density (l) and viscosity (l):
- - - - - - - (g)
- - - - - - - (h)

Assuming that the concentration is nearly uniform over the cylinder, the concentration at any
time is given by:

C=

- - - - - - - (i)

where C0 is the initial concentration, H0 is the initial height of the suspension-clear liquid
interface (constant height before stirring), H is the height at time t.
ii) Tilted Cylinders:

The theory for an increased rate of the settling for inclined cylinders was proposed by PonderNakamura and Kuroda (PNK) based on the increased projected area available for settling. According to
this theory, a clear fluid layer forms under the surface of the downward facing wall (denoted in
figure as ) and the thickness of this layer remains small and independent of time. This portion
of clear fluid experiences a high buoyancy force due to the denser suspension below and gets
instantaneously added to the clear fluid formed above the horizontal interface and the interface
thus moves downwards with a velocity which is much higher as compared to U t (which is the
settling velocity in the free regime for the vertical setup). The volumetric rate at which clarified fluid is
formed then equals Ut times the cross-sectional area of the vessel at the top of the suspension plus the
horizontally projected area of the downward-facing surface below the top of the suspension. Of course,
this volumetric settling rate must equal the area of the interface at the top of the suspension times its
vertical velocity (Ut).
For inclined settling between parallel plates (i.e. in a container as shown in the above figure)
the Volumetric rate of increase of the clear fluid (S) according to the PNK theory is given by:
- - - - - - - (j)
where :
S is Volumetric rate of settling
W is width of the cylinder.
b is the breadth of the cylinder (b=W for square column)
H is the instantaneous height of the liquid column.
is the inclination of cylinder with the surface.
If is small, then the rate of change of height with time is given as:

- - - - - - - - (k)

According to this theory then, the enhancement of the interface velocity is (H*sin/b). Several
experimental studies have been conducted to verify the validity of these equations showing varied results.
In general the consensus reached has been that the PNK theory provides an upper limit for the interfaces
velocity.

Procedure:
Vertical Cylinder:
1. Make slurry with 50g 60g CaCO3 in 2 liters of water.
2. Record the initial height of the slurry bed.
3. Mix the system thoroughly with the help of a glass rod.
4. Wait for a minute and then observe the height below the clear liquid.
5. Record height of the interface after every one minute till a constant height is reached.
6. Similarly carry out a similar run with slurry of 70 80g CaCO3 in 2 liters water.
Tilted Cylinder:
1. Fix the angle of the cylinder to any value in the range 10-150.
2. Make slurry with CaCO3 in 2 liters of water. The concentration of this slurry should be same as
the lower concentration used in the vertical case.
3. Record the initial height of the slurry bed below the clear liquid before mixing.
4. The system is then thoroughly mixed with the help of glass rod.
5. After mixing wait for a minute and then observe the height below the clear liquid.
6. Record height of the interface after every 30 seconds till a constant height is reached.
7. Repeat the same for and inclination in the range 20 300.

Analysis:
a) For the vertical case
1) Plot the height of interface (H) vs. time (t) data and instantaneous velocity of interface (dH/dt) vs. concentration of slurry (C).
2) Identify the settling regimes using the graph you think captures them better and clearly. From the
-dH/dt vs C curve, at what bed concentration does the regime switch from free to hindered?
3) Calculate Ut in the free settling regime using the appropriate curve and use this U t value to find
the diameter of the particle. Confirm that the assumption on Reynolds no. holds.
4) For the hindered settling regime plot a graph from which value of n can be found out. The
relation from which n will be found out has Ut in it, hence use this graph plotted to find out the
value of Ut and compare this value from Ut obtained from free settling regime.

5) You have used two different starting concentrations of the CaCO 3 slurry, compare the values of
Ut, n, the time for which free settling occurs in the two cases. Explain the differences you
observe.
b) For the tilted case
6) Integrate equation (k) to get the relationship for H(t). Use the experimental data to plot this
equation. Identify the time period where free settling occurs. (Hint: Linear region)
7) According to the PNK theory, Ut in equation (k) is equal to that obtained in the vertical case. Find
the value of Ut from the above plot and compare it with the Ut obtained for the free regime in the
vertical case. Are there any discrepancies?
8) According to the Boycott effect, the rate of settling is higher in tilted vessels. Compare the average
dH/dt in the vertical and tilted vessels for the free settling regime and verify this statement.
9) You have performed this experiment at two different inclinations (), compare the average dH/dt
value for the two cases in the free settling region and hence explain the effect of different .
c) Do error analysis taking +10% error in physical properties values used in calculations.

Discussion:
1) What are some of the other parameters besides particle size which affect the sedimentation rate?
2) What would be the effect on the sedimentation rate if the particles have a tendency to
agglomerate?
3) If we assume that a fine suspension behaves essentially as a homogenous fluid, can you think of a
way how it can be used separate solids of different densities? (Hint: refer to McCabe, Smith and
Harriot)

References:
1) Unit operations of Chemical Engineering, McCabe, Smith, Harriot, 7th Edition, pp. 167-175,10551060.
2) Unit Operations, G G Brown et al., 1st Edition, pp. 72-79, 110-114
3) Mechanical Operations for Chemical Engineers, CM Narayan and B C Bhattacharya, 3rd Edition,
pp. 76-84, 90-92, 128-130
4) Acrivos and Herbolzheimer. Enhanced sedimentation in settling tanks with inclined walls. J Fluid
Mech (1979).