Chapter 12: MECHANICAL SEPARATION

CHAPTER

TWELVE
MECHANICAL SEPARATION

12.2 Sedimentation

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12.2. SEDIMENTATION

Keywords: Sedimentation, settling velocity, settling rate

12.2.1. Object

The aim of this experiment is to determine the rate at which the rate of settling of solid is a minimum, the settling velocity at this concentration and the amount of water rejected from the slurry between this concentration and that of the product, i.e. the amount that is flowing upwards at the limiting level.

12.2.2. Theory

Sedimentation is the partial separation or concentration of suspended solid particles from a liquid by gravity settling. This field may be divided into the functional operations of thickening and clarification. The primary purpose of thickening is to increase the concentration of suspended solids in a feed stream, while that of clarification is to remove a relatively small quantity of suspended particles and procedure a clear effluent.

The factors effecting sedimentation are: The nature of particles: size distribution, shape, specific gravity, chemical and mineralogical properties, etc.

Concentration effects Type of pretreatment: chemical conditioning, flocculation, heating, cooling, etc. Type of containing vessel: size, shape, wall effects, etc.

The Talmage-Fitch method which is used to construct the settling velocity versus concentration graphs, enables the construction of graph from a single batch sedimentation experiment.

When solid particles deposit on the bottom of the column, they displace some water and cause it to move upwards. This upflow carries some of the suspended particles with itself. This upthrust is indicated by VLU, where the settling velocity of particles is indicated by VL.

Chapter 12: MECHANICAL SEPARATION

If Co and Zo represents the initial concentration and height of the suspended solids in a batch settling test then total weight of the solids in the slurry is CoZoS where S is the cross-sectional area of batch settlement cylinder.

To treat the batch settling data, the height of the interphase as a function of time is plotted. From this plot, the value of VL is the slope of the curve at =L since the tangent with the curve at intersects the ordinate at a height of interphase Zi and the slope of the line is:

VL = or

Zi Z L L

Z i = Z L + L VL

A mass balance on solids yields C L Z i S = C 0 Z 0S or C L Zi = C0 Z0

therefore Zi is the height which slurry would occupy if all the solids present were at concentration CL, CL is the minimum concentration which boundary layers interfere.

12.2.3. Apparatus

The apparatus of this experiment consists of a long glass cylinder, CaCO3 slurry, length measuring device, stopwatch.

12.2.4. Experimental Procedure

1. 2.

Measure and record the height and diameter of the glass cylinder. Prepare CaCO3 solution in water at a certain concentration and pour into the cylinder at a certain height. Measure the length of the interface at certain time intervals until all the CaCO3 is settled down to the bottom of the glass cylinder.

3.

12.2.5. Report Objectives

1.

Plot a curve of the height of the interphase against time and obtain the curve of settling rate from this curve.

2.

Calculate the minimum settling rate, velocity and amount of rejected water.

12.2.6. References

1. Coulson, J.M., J.F. Richardson, Chemical Engineering Unit Operations, Pergamon Press, New York, 1962. 2. Perry, R.H., D. Green, Perrys Chemical Engineers Handbook, 6th edition, McGraw-Hill, 1988.