Research News
Research News
Sedimentation Velocity of Solids in Finite Size Vessels
By Renzo Di Felice* and Ralf Kehlenbeck
The Richardson-Zaki equation is by far the most popular empirical equation used to describe the velocity-voidage relationship
for sedimenting solid-liquid homogeneous suspensions, using only two empirical parameters. In this work some of Richardson
and Zaki suggestions for the two parameters are challenged on the basis of new and old experimental evidence.
1 Introduction
The time needed for a solid suspension to settle in a vessel of
finite size is an important parameter for the correct design of
the unit. It is well known that a single particle in a large vessel
settles under steady-state conditions at a velocity, the
unhindered settling velocity ut, is easily estimated by
balancing the weight of the particle with the buoyancy and
drag forces. Smaller vessel dimensions or the presence of other
particles will lead to a reduction of the settling velocity, with
this reduction being more pronounced as the particle
diameter, d, becomes comparable to the vessel diameter, D,
or as the suspension voidage, e, decreases1).
In both cases the main reason for the reduction in the
settling velocity is similar. As the solid particles, and some
fluid attached to it, move downwards, some fluid must move
upwards, increasing in this way the drag force and conse-
quently reducing the equilibrium settling velocity.
For the important practical cases of concentrated solid
suspensions (e smaller than 0.95) no exact theoretical
treatment is available, so that we must resort to experiments.
Richardson and Zaki [1] extensively studied sedimentation of
liquid-solid suspensions of spherical particles; they investi-
gated the dependency of the settling velocity, u, on the voidage
fraction. Their results were summarized with the relationship
which today is known worldwide as the Richardson-Zaki
equation (although the same equation had been used, in a
somewhat different form, earlier by Lewis and Bowermann in
1952 [2])
u ui en (1)
Eq. (1) simply says that in a log-log plot velocity and voidage
are linked by a linear relation; therefore only two parameters
are needed to represent the observed behavior regardless of
the system investigated. Furthermore, based on their own
experimental investigation and on their theoretical analysis,
expressions for the two parameter n and ui were given as
follow.
[*] R. Di Felice and R. Kehlenbeck, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica e di,
Processo G.B. Bonino, Universit degli Studi di Genova, via Opera Pia
15, 16145 Genova, Italy; e-mail difelice@istic.unige.it
1) List of symbols at the end of the paper.
Chem. Eng. Technol. 23 (2000) 12, WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH, D-69469 Weinheim, 2000 0930-7516/00/1212-1123
The parameter n, reported in Tab. 1, was found to be a
function of the flow regime, expressed by the terminal
Reynolds number Ret, and of the particle to column diameter
ratio d/D.
Table1. Values of the parameter n as recommended by Richardson and Zaki [1].
Ret<0.2 n=4.65+19.5d/D
0.2< Ret <1 n=(4.35+17.5d/D) Ret0.03
1< Ret<200 n=(4.45+18d/D) Ret0.1
200< Ret<500 n=4.45 Ret0.1
Ret> 500 n=2.39
The parameter ui, which graphically represents the extra-
polation of the velocity to voidage equal to 1 and therefore is
easily related to the single particle terminal settling velocity ut,
was found to be coincident with the single particle terminal
velocity, i.e., ui=ut. The simplicity of Eq. (1) is probably its
most striking feature, where the complex influence of the fluid
and particle physical characteristics on the particle-fluid
interaction forces is magically condensed into only two
parameters. Efforts to reproduce the Richardson-Zaki equa-
tion from basic fluid dynamic considerations are today still
only partially successful [3].
There are some observations to be made regarding the
proposed expressions for n and ui. Let us first consider cases
for which the particle diameter is much smaller than the
container diameter so that any possible effect of d/D can be
safely ignored. Richardson and Zaki suggested that in this case
n is a function only of the terminal Reynolds number,
decreasing from 4.65 to 2.39 as we move from viscous to
inertial flow regime. This is easily justifiable as the amount of
fluid dragged down by the solid decreases with Reynolds
number, reducing in this way the overall effect of the
suspension voidage on the settling velocity.
The analysis, when wall effects are taken into account, is
somewhat less straightforward. Richardson and Zaki sug-
gested that n increases with d/D. As a consequence, identical
sedimenting systems differing only as far as the factor d/D
would possess the characteristics represented in Fig. 1; this
figure seems to suggest that the effect of the wall is more
pronounced as the suspension becomes concentrated rather
than when it is diluted which does not appear to be correct.
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Table 2. Solid physical characteristics.

Solid material Diameter (mm) Density (kg/m3)

Acetate 2.95 1280
Acetate 4.93 1280
Glass 1.69 2500
Glass 3.00 2500
Zirconia 1.17 3800
Teflon 1.96 2100
Delrin 5.00 1400

3 Results

Figure 1. Velocity function of voidage as predicted by Richardson and Zaki. All the systems investigated exhibited an expansion
System: Ret=10.
characteristic law which, when plotted on logarithmic
coordinates, yielded a straight line: this is to say that Eq. (1)
is indeed a very good representation of the experimental
Overall, there is room for doubt, doubt which have already observations. The values of n and ui were determined with the
been expressed and investigated, only as far as sedimentation help of a standard error minimization routine.
in viscous flow conditions, in a previous paper [4]. In this work Of course, there is not much novelty in this finding; more
we extend the investigation to higher Reynolds number important for this work was to verify some of the specific
systems. However, we will still use the limit of spherical results suggested by Richardson and Zaki. Fig. 2 shows 3 mm
particles of nearly constant diameter. acetate particles sedimenting in vessels of different diameters
in sugar solutions. No noticeable differences appear in the
experimental data whereas the Richardson and Zaki predic-
2 Experimental tions (reported as continuous lines) exhibit a quite different
slope. This result was quite general: for every case investigated
Particle sedimentation velocities were investigated as a where only the value of the parameter d/D was changed, the
function of the suspension voidage. Experimental runs were slope of the expansion characteristic law was constant, with
carried out in cylindrical columns 500 mm tall with an internal only a little difference, generally smaller than 0.2, being
diameters of 24, 30 and 40 mm, respectively. The fluids utilized measured, which is attributable to experimental uncertainty.
were sugar solutions of different concentrations (up to 58% in
weight) at 20 C, with the density ranging from 998 to 1275 kg/
m3 and the viscosity ranging from 0.001 to 0.042 kg/m/s. An
important practical problem concerns the evaluation of the
single particle settling velocity, with which the parameter ui is
subsequently compared (a significant range of ut values can
occur for adjacent sieve sizes). The use of solids with the
smallest size range is therefore a must, and these solids can
only be obtained in practice for either large sizes (1 mm or
more) or very small (of the order of 1 lm). The solid particles
utilized (reported in Tab. 2) were all spherical, with a very
narrow size range (the plastic particle had a tolerance of 0.01
mm, which was verified by measuring a batch of 100 spheres)
and, for each particle type the single particle settling velocity
was measured experimentally: it was obtained in a vessel of
300 mm diameter in order to minimize any possible effect of
the wall.
Details of the experimental procedure for the sedimenta- Figure 2. Experimental settling velocity function of voidage (points) and
corresponding Richardson-Zaki predictions (lines). The solid diamonds
tion runs are analogous to those reported more at length in a represent the experimental values of ut. System: 3 mm acetate; upper points
previous work [4]. 41 % sugar solution, lower points 51% sugar solution.

1124 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH, D-69469 Weinheim, 2000 0930-7516/00/1212-1124 $ 17.50+.50/0 Chem. Eng. Technol. 23 (2000) 12

The experimental values of n for all the systems investigated
are reported in Fig. 3, where it can be seen that, once the wall
effect has been removed, the Richardson and Zaki correlation
is quite satisfactory.
Figure 3. Experimental values of n as a function of Ret (points) and Richardson-
Zaki predictions (line) ignoring wall effects.
Let us turn our attention now to the second numerical
parameter in Eq. (1): the extrapolation of the velocity to a
voidage equal to one, ui, and more specifically to its ratio to the
single particle settling velocity, ut, expressed by k
ui
k (2)
ut
Fig. 4 depicts experimental values of k function of d/D from
this and published works [49] (unlike the present investiga-
tion, published works are performed in the viscous flow
regime); all values are actually smaller than 1 and no specific
trend is evident. It must be said here that we tried to correlate
k with other parameters (Reynolds number, Archimedes
number, particle diameter, solid density to fluid density ratio)
but in every case we were unsuccessful, always obtaining plots
similar to Fig. 4.
The present experimental results can be summarized as
follows:
l Eq. (1) is an excellent representation of the expansion
characteristic of concentrated sedimenting suspensions
l The parameter n is a function of the Reynolds number but
not a function of the particle to wall diameter ratio. It may
be easier to use the Rowe relationship [10], where only one
equation covers the entire flow regime for n
4:7n
0:175Re0:75
n2:35 t
or the relationship proposed by Khan and Richardson [11]
which relates n to Archimedes number
4:8n
0:043Ar0:57
n2:4
Chem. Eng. Technol. 23 (2000) 12, WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH, D-69469 Weinheim, 2000
Research News
so that we can estimate n directly without first calculating
Ret. Both Eqs. (3) and (4) yield values of n very close to those
calculated from Tab. 1.
l The extrapolation to voidage equal to 1 of the fluid velocity
is not a function of d/D either, its value being about 0.80.9
times the single particle terminal settling velocity.
Figure 4. Experimental values of the k function of d/D for sedimenting systems
from this and from published works.
This last remark needs some discussion. The velocity of the
particle will certainly approach ut as the voidage approaches 1,
so that the validity of the Richardson-Zaki equation must be
somewhat restricted to an upper limiting voidage; if the whole
voidage spectrum is experimentally investigated then one can
actually find a behavior of the type reported in [4] for the
sedimentation of 4.96 acetate particles in a water-glycerol
mixture where the expansion characteristic is not represented
by a straight line anymore but there is a break occurring at a
voidage of about 0.95. How general this finding is, is still, in our
opinion, an open question; interestingly a similar behavior has
been reported at the other end of the particle diameter
spectrum: the sedimentation velocity of very small solid
particles (1.5 lm plastic particles) reported in [12] (for that
specific case the value of d/D is equal to 0.000075 so that the
wall effect can certainly not be invoked to explain the
difference between ui and ut). No equivalent analysis is
possible at the present moment with intermediate diameter
spheres (let say 0.1 mm) given that they are available only with
a relatively large size distribution and whose experimental
determination of the settling velocity in dilute and unhindered
conditions poses difficult practical problems [13]
(3)
4 Conclusions
We have confirmed that the Richardson-Zaki equation is an
excellent tool in describing the characteristics of sedimenting
(4) concentrated suspensions. Some small adjustments of the
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empirical parameters are needed, especially as far as the effect Greek letters
of the container dimension is concerned. Specifically, we have
found no effect on the slope of the log-log voidage-velocity e [] voidage
expansion characteristics, n, and on its extrapolation to a r [kg/m3] fluid density
voidage equal to one, ui. rp [kg/m3] solid density
m [kg m1 s1] fluid viscosity

Acknowledgments
References
The financial support from the University of Genova is
gratefully acknowledged. Ralf Kehlenbeck would also like to [1] Richardson, J.F.; Zaki, W.N., Sedimentation and fluidisation: Part I. Trans.
Inst. Chem. Eng. 32 (1954) pp. 35ff.
thank the European Union for supporting his stay in Genova [2] Lewis, E.W; Bowerman, E.W., Fluidization of solid particles in liquids.
through an Erasmus student mobility grant. Chem. Eng. Prog.. 48 (1952) pp. 603ff.
[3] Foscolo, P.U.; Gibilaro, L.G.; Waldram, S.P., A unified model for
Received: January 7, 2000 [RN 17] particulate expansion of fluidised beds and flow in fixed porous media.
Chem. Eng. Sci. 38 (1983) pp. 1251ff.
[4] Di Felice, R.; Parodi, E., Wall effects on the sedimentation velocity of
suspensions in viscous flow. AIChE J. 42 (1996) pp. 927ff.
Symbols used [5] Chong, Y.S; Ratkowsky, D.A.; Epstein, N., Effect of particle shape on
hindered settling in creeping flow. Powder Technol. 23 (1979) pp. 55ff.
[6] Steinour, H.H., Rate of sedimentation non flocculated suspensions of
Ar [d3(rpr)rg/l2] Archimedes number
uniform spheres. Ind. Eng. Chem. 36 (1944) pp. 618ff.
d [m] particle diameterer [7] Mertes, T.S.; Rhodes, H.B., Liquid-particle behavior. Chem. Eng. Prog. 51
D [m] column diameter (1955) pp. 429ff.
[8] Whitmore, R.L., The sedimentation of suspensions of spheres. British J.
g [m/s2 ] acceleration due to gravity Appl. Phys. 6 (1955) pp. 239ff.
k [] defined by Eq. (3) [9] Oliver, D.R., The sedimentation of suspensions of closely sized spherical
n [] parameter in Eq. (1) particles. Chem. Eng. Sci. 15 (1961) 230.
[10] Rowe, P.N., A convenient empirical equation for estimation of the
Ret [drut/l] Reynolds number Richardson-Zaki exponent. Chem. Eng. Sci. 43 (1987) pp. 2795ff.
u [m/s] settling velocity [11] Khan, A.R; Richardson, J.F., Fluid-particle interactions and flow
characteristics of fluidized beds and settling suspensions of spherical
ui [m/s] parameter in Eq. (1)
particles. Chem. Eng. Comm. 78 (1989) pp. 111ff.
ut [m/s] single particle terminal settling [12] Buscall, R.; Goodwin, J.W.; Ottewill, R.H.; Tadros, Th.F., The settling of
velocity particles through Newtonian and non-Newtonian media. J. Colloid
Interface Sci. 85 (1982) pp. 78ff.
[13] Davis, R.H., Velocities of sedimenting particles in suspensions. in: E. M.
Tory (editor) Sedimentation of Small Particles in a Viscous Fluid, (p. 161)
1996.

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