CHLAB151P

Sedimentation Studies Apparatus

Submitted by:

Cruz, Adrian G.

Felisilda, Miguel

Abelarde, Gian

Boyero, Gian

July 9, 2019
 Introduction

Sedimentation is a separation process where in particulates suspended in water are allowed

to settle out of suspension with the aid of gravity. In the Industry, sedimentation is used to reduce

the concentration of suspended particulates to allow for easier filtration. This process is most

commonly used in Water Treatment Systems (Gregory & Edzwald, 2010). Outside of the industry,

Sedimentation is widely used Geology, where it is used to study the status of the surrounding area

within a particular timeframe by means of soil samples from bodies of water (Schlager, 2000). In

reality, the process of sedimentation is rather simplistic, as the primary concern is the rate at which

particles settle. In line with this, Sedimentation processes are designed to achieve optimal settling

times. This may involve changes to the flow rate of water, changing the concentration of the initial

amount of solids, changing the initial height of the liquid prior to settling, or introducing coagulants

to assist in the sedimentation process (Wu & Wang, 2006).

Objectives

• To determine the effect of initial concentration of particles on the settling rate

• To aid in the construction of settling-rate curves
• To determine the difference between the actual and theoretical data
• To determine the effect of particle size distribution on the settling rate

Theory
 Sedimentation is the tendency of a particle in suspension to settle out of the fluid in which
they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid
in response to the forces acting on them. The greater the concentration of the particles, the slower
the sedimentation rate. This is due to the interactions between neighboring particles.

Sedimentation Study Apparatus

A Sedimentation Study Apparatus is a type of equipment designed to hold liquids and

study the rate at which suspended particulates start to settle.

• Manufactured by Armfield Technical Education

• Five detachable Graduated cylindrical columns
 • Clamps
• Rubber Stoppers
• LED backlight
• Tube length: 950mm
• Internal diameter: 51mm

Materials and Apparatus

Materials:

1. Distilled Water
2. Calcium Carbonate (Chalk)
Apparatus:

1. Sieves
2. Mortar and pestle
3. Beaker (1000 mL)
4. Graduated cylinder (500 ml)
5. Thermometer
6. Analytical balance
7. Stopwatch
8. Watch glass
9. Spatula

Procedures

1. Clean the cylinders of the sedimentation studies apparatus

2. Check for leaks/damages of the equipment

3. Crush CaCO3 (chalk) using mortar and pestle

4. Sieve the crushed chalk to determine particle size. Note: Pick appropriate sieve meshes

5. Weigh the powdered chalk into 10, 20, 30, 40 grams using analytical balance

6. Measure the temperature of the water to be used

7. Place the powdered chalk into an Erlenmeyer flask and add 1.5 L of water
8. Shake the solution to obtain homogeneity

9. Transfer the suspension into the sedimentation studies apparatus cylinder

10. Shake the solution again so that some of the chalk that settled will be diffused

11. Mount the cylinder to the sedimentation studies apparatus then start the timer

12. Switch on the backlight

13. Readings of the uppermost and lowermost interface were then recorded for 5 intervals at 2
minutes each.

14. Let it settle completely

Data Analysis Procedure

1. The Readings of the uppermost and lowermost interface of each concentration were
recorded in 2-minute intervals in a table:

Concentration Time (mins) Height (mm)

10.00 0.00 950.00

2.00 652.00

4.00 448.00

6.00 304.00

8.00 212.00
 10.00 50.00

20.00 0.00 950.00

2.00 658.00

4.00 498.00

6.00 442.00

8.00 372.00

10.00 52.00

30.00 0.00 950.00

2.00 713.00

4 528.00

6.00 457.00

8.00 398.00

1440.00 54.00

40.00 0.00 950.00

2.00 828.00

4.00 650.00

6.00 515.00

8.00 498.00

1440.00 56.00

2. Create a graph that relates the time vs height of interface:

 Height Over Time

1000.00

900.00

800.00

700.00

600.00

500.00

400.00

300.00

200.00

100.00

0.00
0.00 2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00 10.00 12.00 14.00 16.00

Series1 Series2 Series3 Series4

3. From the data that we can easily obtain, we use equation (5) to obtain K
4. Then from the value of K obtained, use equation (1) (2) or (3) according to Table 2
5. The value for settling velocity during free settling is then calculated
6. For Hindered settling under Stokes Law we use (7)
7. Before that we first solve for the missing variable in equation (7) using equation (9) for
porosity and equation (8) for empirical correction factor
8. The value for settling velocity during hindered settling is then calculated

Working Equations
Reynolds Number
𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝑢𝑢𝑡𝑡 𝜌𝜌
(1) 𝑁𝑁𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅 = 𝜇𝜇

RANGE OF MOTION 𝑁𝑁𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅

Stoke’s Law <2

Intermediate Law 2 to 500

Newton’s Law >500

Table 1

For Stoke’s Law Range: Where: 𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷 = diameter of

particle
𝑔𝑔𝐷𝐷 2 𝑝𝑝 (𝜌𝜌𝑝𝑝 −𝜌𝜌)
(2) 𝑢𝑢𝑡𝑡 𝑢𝑢𝑡𝑡 = settling
18𝜇𝜇
velocity

For Intermediate Law Range: 𝜌𝜌𝑝𝑝 = density of

particle
0.153𝑔𝑔0.71 𝐷𝐷𝑝𝑝1.14 (𝜌𝜌𝑝𝑝 −𝜌𝜌)0.71
(3) 𝑢𝑢𝑡𝑡 = 𝜌𝜌 = density of
𝜌𝜌0.29 𝜇𝜇0.43
fluid

For Newton’s Law Range: 𝜇𝜇 = fluid

viscosity

𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔(𝜌𝜌𝑝𝑝 −𝜌𝜌)
(4) 𝑢𝑢𝑡𝑡 = 1.75�
𝜌𝜌
If 𝑁𝑁𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅 is not known use
1�
𝑎𝑎𝑒𝑒 𝜌𝜌(𝜌𝜌𝑝𝑝 −𝜌𝜌) 3
(5) 𝐾𝐾 = 𝐷𝐷𝑝𝑝 � �
𝜇𝜇 2

Where: 𝑎𝑎𝑒𝑒 = acceleration due to gravity/centripetal force

RANGE OF MOTION K

Stoke’s Law K < 3.3

Intermediate Law 3.3 < K <44

Newton’s Law K > 44

Table 2

Hindered Settling

For spheres under Stoke’s law range:

(6) 𝜑𝜑(𝜀𝜀) = 𝑒𝑒 −4.19(1−𝜀𝜀) Where: 𝜇𝜇𝑚𝑚 = viscosity of

bulk fluid
𝑔𝑔𝐷𝐷 2 𝑝𝑝 (𝜌𝜌𝑝𝑝 −𝜌𝜌)𝜀𝜀 2 ∅
(7) 𝑢𝑢𝑡𝑡= ∅ = empirical correction
18𝜇𝜇
factor
1
(8) ∅ = 101.82 (1−𝜀𝜀) 𝜀𝜀 = porosity
(9) 𝜀𝜀 = 𝜀𝜀𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑝𝑚𝑚 = density of bulk
fluid
𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷
(10) 𝑁𝑁𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅 = 𝜀𝜀𝜀𝜀 𝑚𝑚 𝑢𝑢𝑡𝑡= hindered settling velocity
𝑚𝑚

For Non-Spherical Particles:

4𝑔𝑔𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷 2 𝜌𝜌(𝜌𝜌𝑝𝑝 −𝜌𝜌)
(11) 𝐾𝐾 =
3𝜇𝜇 2

𝐾𝐾
(12) 𝐶𝐶𝐷𝐷 = 𝑁𝑁 2
𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅

Sample Calculations
Given Data: Where:
SG = 2.65 SG = Specific Gravity
Dp = 1.2x10-4 m Dp = Diameter of the Particle
μ = 1.000 x 10−3 Pa.s μ = Fluid Viscosity
𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘�
(water) = 998.2 𝑚𝑚3 𝑠𝑠 g = gravitational constant

(particle) = 2.65 -1 = 1.165 𝜌𝜌 = Density

V = .8L V = Volume of liquid
m1 = 10g CaCO3
m2 = 40g CaCO3

Solutions:
1�
𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘 3
�9.8𝑚𝑚� 2 ��998.2 � 3 �((998.2 � 3 )(2.65−1))
−4 𝑠𝑠 𝑚𝑚 𝑚𝑚
• 𝐾𝐾 = (1.2x10 )� 𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁 2 �
(1.00𝑥𝑥10−3 )
𝑠𝑠
• 𝐾𝐾 = 3.03, 𝑡𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒: 𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆′𝑠𝑠 𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿 𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴
0.71
0.153�9.8 𝑚𝑚� 2 � (1.2x10−4 m)1.14 (998.2𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘� 3 (2.65−1))0.71
𝑠𝑠 𝑚𝑚
• 𝑢𝑢𝑡𝑡 = 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘 𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁 0.43
(998.2 � 3 )0.29 (1.00𝑥𝑥10−3 )
𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠
• 𝑢𝑢𝑡𝑡 = 0.013 𝑚𝑚⁄𝑠𝑠
For Hindered Settling:

Using 10g CaCO3

1𝑚𝑚3
(0.8𝐿𝐿)( )
• ∈= 1𝑚𝑚3
1000𝐿𝐿
0.01𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘
(0.8𝐿𝐿)� �+
1000𝐿𝐿 2650 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘
𝑚𝑚3

• ∈= 0.99
1
• ∅ = 101.82(1−0.99)
 • ∅ = 0.959
𝑔𝑔𝐷𝐷 2 𝑝𝑝 (𝜌𝜌𝑝𝑝 −𝜌𝜌)𝜀𝜀 2 ∅
• 𝜐𝜐𝑡𝑡=
18𝜇𝜇

9.807(1.2x10−4 )2 (2650−998.2)(0.99)2 (.959)

• 𝜐𝜐𝑡𝑡= 18(1𝑥𝑥10−3 )

𝑚𝑚
• 𝜐𝜐𝑡𝑡= 0.012 𝑠𝑠

Using 40g CaCO3

1𝑚𝑚3
(0.8𝐿𝐿)( )
• ∈= 1𝑚𝑚3
1000𝐿𝐿
0.04𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘
(0.8𝐿𝐿)� �+
1000𝐿𝐿 2650 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘
𝑚𝑚3

• ∈= 0.98
1
• ∅ = 101.82(1−0.98)

• ∅ = 0.92

𝑔𝑔𝐷𝐷 2 𝑝𝑝 (𝜌𝜌𝑝𝑝 −𝜌𝜌)𝜀𝜀 2 ∅

• 𝑢𝑢𝑡𝑡=
18𝜇𝜇

9.807(1.2x10−4 )2 (2650−998.2)(0.98)2 (.92)

• 𝜐𝜐𝑡𝑡=
18(1𝑥𝑥10−3 )

𝑚𝑚
• 𝜐𝜐𝑡𝑡= 0.011 𝑠𝑠
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