Sedimentation diameters

C) foraminiferan shells (CaC03), from marine sediments, diameter c. 100-200 pm. ((C) courtesy of Kathy Newell, University of Washington.)... 

Also termed sedimentation diameter. This is usually referred to as the equivalent spherical diameter in the case of emulsion and suspension sedimentation. 

Table 3.2. Average beach slopes compared with sediment diameters...

In Fig. 27.10, the compactness of the bed of given sediment diameter has been defined by (or Up). The abscissa is specified by the Peclet number, with values corresponding to Table 27.4. Since density p has been used in the analysis, its scale is also included based on particle density of 2,650 kg m" and water density of 1,000 kg m . The boundaries are approximate not only due to the paucity of available information. 

In particle-size measurement, gravity sedimentation at low soHds concentrations (<0.5% by vol) is used to determine particle-size distributions of equivalent Stokes diameters ia the range from 2 to 80 pm. Particle size is deduced from the height and time of fall usiag Stokes law, whereas the corresponding fractions are measured gravimetrically, by light, or by x-rays. Some commercial instmments measure particles coarser than 80 pm by sedimentation when Stokes law cannot be appHed. 

The terminal velocity in the case of fine particles is approached so quickly that in practical engineering calculations the settling is taken as a constant velocity motion and the acceleration period is neglected. Equation 7 can also be appHed to nonspherical particles if the particle size x is the equivalent Stokes diameter as deterrnined by sedimentation or elutriation methods of particle-size measurement. 

The center-drive mechanism and feed launder are usually supported by a walkway that extends across one-half or the whole diameter of the basin. Devices having drive mechanisms and rakes supported by a tmss across the diameter of the thickener are referred to as bridge machines. The bridge thickeners usually do not exceed 25—45 m in diameter. In thickeners with larger diameters, the drive mechanism is supported by a central column or pier and the rates are driven and supported by a drive cage. The sediment is discharged into an aimular trench around the bottom of the column. 

Particle Size Distribution. Almost every feed slurry is a mixture of fine and coarse particles. Performance depends on the frequency of distribution of particle size ia the feed. Figure 5 shows that whereas all of the coarse particles having a diameter greater than some are separated, fewer of the very fine particles are, at any given feed rate. The size distribution frequency of particles ia feed and centrate for a fine and coarse feed are quite different. More coarse particles separate out than fine ones. Classification of soHds by size is often done by centrifugal sedimentation. 

The particle size deterrnined by sedimentation techniques is an equivalent spherical diameter, also known as the equivalent settling diameter, defined as the diameter of a sphere of the same density as the irregularly shaped particle that exhibits an identical free-fall velocity. Thus it is an appropriate diameter upon which to base particle behavior in other fluid-flow situations. Variations in the particle size distribution can occur for nonspherical particles (43,44). The upper size limit for sedimentation methods is estabHshed by the value of the particle Reynolds number, given by equation 11 ... 

Table 1. Sedimentation Rate as a Function of Particle Diameter ...

Stokes diameter by centrifugal sedimentation from various sources. 

Figure 18-82 illustrates the relationship between solids concentration, iuterparticle cohesiveuess, and the type of sedimentation that may exist. Totally discrete particles include many mineral particles (usually greater in diameter than 20 Im), salt crystals, and similar substances that have httle tendency to cohere. Floccnleut particles generally will include those smaller than 20 [Lm (unless present in a dispersed state owing to surface charges), metal hydroxides, many chemical precipitates, and most organic substances other than true colloids. 

At low concentrations, the type of sedimentation encountered is called particulate settling. Regardless of their nature, particles are sufficiently far apart to settle freely. Faster-setthug particles may collide with slower-setthug ones and, if they do not cohere, continue downward at their own specific rate. Those that do cohere will form floc-cnles of a larger diameter that will settle at a rate greater than that of the individual particles. 

Shoiild the particles have a tendency to cohere slightly during sedimentation, each sampling time, representing a different nominal detention time in the clarifier, will produce different suspended-sohds concentrations at similar rates. These data can be plotted as sets of cui ves of concentration versus settling rate for each detention time by the means just described. Scale-up will be similar, except that detention time will be a factor, and both depth and area of the clarifier will influence the results. In most cases, more than one combination of diameter and depth will be capable of producing the same clarification result. 

Design Features There are three classes of thickeners, each differentiated by its drive mechanism (1) bridge-supported, (2) center-column supported, and (3) traction drives. The diameter of the tank will range from 2 to 150 m (6.5 to 492 ft), and the support structure often is related to the size required. These classes are described in detail in the subsection Components and Accessories for Sedimentation Units. ... 

Stokes diameter is defined as the diameter of a sphere having the same density and the same velocity as the particle in a fluid of the same density and viscosity settling under laminar flow conditions. Correction for deviation from Stokes law may be necessary at the large end of the size range. Sedimentation methods are limited to sizes above a [Lm due to the onset of thermal diffusion (Brownian motion) at smaller sizes. 

The failure took place in a large water-tube boiler used for generating steam in a chemical plant. The layout of the boiler is shown in Fig. 13.1. At the bottom of the boiler is a cylindrical pressure vessel - the mud drum - which contains water and sediments. At the top of the boiler is the steam drum, which contains water and steam. The two drums are connected by 200 tubes through which the water circulates. The tubes are heated from the outside by the flue gases from a coal-fired furnace. The water in the "hot" tubes moves upwards from the mud drum to the steam drum, and the water in the "cool" tubes moves downwards from the steam drum to the mud drum. A convection circuit is therefore set up where water circulates around the boiler and picks up heat in the process. The water tubes are 10 m long, have an outside diameter of 100 mm and are 5 mm thick in the wall. They are made from a steel of composition Fe-0.18% C, 0.45% Mn, 0.20% Si. The boiler operates with a working pressure of 50 bar and a water temperature of 264°C. 

---