Module 4

Particulate solid flow

> Motion of a Particle through a Fluid.
> Terminal Velocity
> Free and Hindered Settling
> Classification
> Cyclone Separator

LOs
To understand the behavior of particle moving through a fluid and effect of various
parameters.
To utilize the concepts for designing the classifiers and cyclone separator
 Particle Dynamics

Study of particle dynamics is important in many mechanical operations

- Sedimentation
- Classification
- Elutriation
- Filtration
 Assumptions

1. The particle is spherical

2. The particle is non porous, incompressible and chemically inert with fluid.
3. Density , viscosity of the fluid are constant
4. Particles is falling freely (under gravity)
5. There is no wall effect, particle is far away from wall
6. Particle is larger in size than the mean free path of fluid molecules, so slip
between particle and fluid molecules.
 Motion of a Particle through a Fluid
When a particle falls in a liquid, the forces acting are:
(m/s) fg (buoyancy)
Force balance:

FR (friction)

=

mg (gravity)

=

ae is effective acceleration
FR is frictional drag with in the velocity of particle

At a particular point, when total downward force is equal

To the upward force. Then the particle will move with a
constant velocity or zero acceleration.
This velocity is known as terminal settling velocity Vt

=

Assuming particle to be spherical

=

The kinematic force can be expressed in general as
=
where, A = characteristic area of the system
K = characteristic kinetic energy per unit volume
f = a dimensionless parameter
 24
Within stokes law, = , for laminar regime

where, Rep = (dp Vt f)/ f and is called particle Reynolds number.

Rep < 0.1 : laminar settling zone (Stokes law is applicable)
Rep > 1000 Turbulent settling zone, fd is constant and its independent of Rep
0.1 > Rep < 1000 transition zone
1
=

 video
Hindered settling

Small particle tends to get dragged downwards by large ones.

Effective density and viscosity of concentrated suspension (b and b,
commonly called bulk density and bulk viscosity) are much larger than clear
liquid.
Particles get closer and flocculation takes place. Each flocks now behaves as
a coarser particle and settles at a high velocity.
The bulk density of a suspension can be computed as
= 1 +
where, is volume fraction of liquid in the suspension.

Bulk viscosity in suspension can be estimated as

101.82(1)
=

Substituting in Stokes law, we get
2
=
18
2 2
=
18 101.82(1)
= VtFs
Vt the free settling velocity.
 Problem

A glass sphere (RD = 2.60) 2.0 mm in diameter is observed to have a fall

velocity of 1.25 cm/s in oil of density 917 kg/m3. Estimate the coefficient of
dynamics viscosity of the oil.

0.293 Pa.s