Sedimentation thickening

Thickeners are used to concentrate dilute suspensions in preparation for further separation in filters and centrifuges. As previously shown in Table 3, thickeners frequently lead to removal of a large fraction of the liquid in a slurry. A schematic continuous thickener is shown in Fig. 24. In the figure, a clear liquid overflows the top while a thickened sediment flows out of the bottom as underflow. Thickeners are widely used in fields sueh as wastewater, aluminum, coal, pulp and paper, cement, and sugar. 

Tiller, F.M., and Wenping Li. 1999. Comparing % cake solids in filtration, thickening, sedimenting centrifugation and expression. FluidIParticle Separation Journal 12 173. 

Prethickening of filter feeds can be done with a variety of equipment such as gravity thickeners, hydrocyclones, or sedimenting centrifuges. Even cake filters can be designed to limit or completely eliminate cake formation and therefore act as thickening filters and be used in this thickening duty. 

The raw potassium manganate(VI) from the secondary roaster or the Hquid-phase oxidizer contains a fair amount of insoluble material such as unreacted MnO and ore gangue. In most continuous processes, these insolubles are removed by sedimentation using thickeners or filtration and are disposed of as waste. 

Sedimentation is also used for other purposes. For example, relative motion of particles and Hquid iacreases the mass-transfer coefficient. This motion is particularly useful ia solvent extraction ia immiscible Hquid—Hquid systems (see Extraction, liquid-liquid). An important commercial use of sedimentation is ia continuous countercurrent washing, where a series of continuous thickeners is used ia a countercurrent mode ia conjunction with reslurrying to remove mother liquor or to wash soluble substances from the soHds. Most appHcations of sedimentation are, however, ia straight sohd—Hquid separation. 

Most authors who have studied the consohdation process of soflds in compression use the basic model of a porous medium having point contacts which yield a general equation of the mass-and-momentum balances. This must be supplemented by a model describing filtration and deformation properties. Probably the best model to date (ca 1996) uses two parameters to define characteristic behavior of suspensions (9). This model can be potentially appHed to sedimentation, thickening, cake filtration, and expression. 

Sedimentation equipment can be divided into batch-operated settling tanks and continuously operated thickeners or clarifiers. The operation of the former is simple. Whereas use has diminished, these are employed when small quantities of Hquids are to be treated, for example in the cleaning and reclamation of lubricating oil (see Recycling, oil). Most sedimentation processes are operated in continuous units. 

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. 

Stacking of sedimentation units in vertical arrangements increases the capacity per unit area. Multiple compartment or tray thickeners consist of two... 

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 primaiy purpose of thickening is to increase the concentration of suspended sohds in a feed stream, while that of clarification is to... 

A feed stream to be clarified or thickened can exist at any state represented within this diagram. As it becomes concentrated owing to sedimentation, it may pass through all the regimes, and the settling rate in any one may be the size-determining factor for the required equipment. 

Thickener-Basin Depth The pulp depth required in the thickener will be greatly affected by the role that compression plays in determining the rate of sedimentation. If the zone-settling conditions define the area needed, then depth of pulp will be unimportant and can be largely ignored, as the normal depth found in the thickener will be sufficient. On the other hand, with the compression zone controlling, depth of pulp will be significant, and it is essential to measure the sedimentation rate under these conditions. 

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. ... 

Sedimentation systems consist of a collection of components, each of which can be supplied in a number of variations. The basic components are the same, whether the system is for thickening or clarifying tank, drive-support structure, drive unit and lifting device, rake structure, feedwell, overflow arrangement, underflow arrangement, instrumentation, and flocculation facilities. 

Drive Assemblies The drive assembly is the key component of a sedimentation unit. The drive assembly provides (1) the force to move the rakes through the thickened pulp and to move settled solids to the point of discharge, (2) the support for the mechanism which permits it to rotate, (3) adequate reserve capacity to withstand upsets andtem-poraiy overloads, and (4) a reliable control which protects the mechanism from damage when a major overload occurs. 

More detailea descriptions of small-scale sedimentation and filtration tests are presented in other parts of this section. Interpretation of the results and their conversion into preliminary estimates of such quantities as thickener size, centrifuge capacity, filter area, sludge density, cake diyness, and wash requirements also are discussed. Both the tests and the data treatment must be in experienced hands if error is to be avoided. 

There are a large number of processes in the chemical industries that handle a variety of suspensions of solid particles in liquids. The application of filtration techniques for the separation of these heterogeneous systems is sometimes very costly. If, however, the discrete phase of the suspension largely contains settleable particles, the separation can be effected by the operation of sedimentation. The process of sedimentation involves the removal of suspended solid particles from a liquid stream by gravitational settling. This unit operation is divided into thickening,... 

Sedimentation involves the removal of suspended solid particles from a liquid stream by gravitational settling. This unit operation is divided into thickening, i.e.. 

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