INTRODUCTION

Settling is the process by which particulates settle to the bottom of a liquid and form a
sediment. Particles that experience a force, either due to gravity or due to centrifugal motion
will tend to move in a uniform manner in the direction exerted by that force. For gravity
settling, this means that the particles will tend to fall to the bottom of the vessel, forming a
slurry at the vessel base.
[1]


For settling particles that are considered individually, for example dilute particle
solutions, there are two main forces enacting upon any particle. The primary force is an applied
force, such as gravity, and a drag force that is due to the motion of the particle through the
fluid. The applied force is usually not affected by the particles velocity, whereas the drag force
is a function of the particle velocity.

For a particle at rest no drag force will exhibit, which causes the particle to accelerate
due to the applied force. When the particle accelerates, the drag force acts in the direction
opposite to the particle's motion, retarding further acceleration. In the absence of other forces,
drag directly opposes the applied force. As the particle increases in velocity eventually the drag
force and the applied force will approximately equate, causing no further change in the
particle's velocity. This velocity is known as the terminal velocity, settling velocity or fall velocity
of the particle. This is readily measurable by examining the rate of fall of individual particles.
The terminal velocity of the particle is affected by many parameters, for example, anything that
will alter the particle's drag. Hence the terminal velocity is most notably dependent upon grain
size, the shape (roundness) and density of grains, as well as to the viscosity and density of the
fluid.

The behaviour of settling particles in slurry can be conveniently studied in small
batch experiments. The data is then useful for designing large scale settling tanks which
have a number of applications (e.g. Clarification of waste water). The main information
required for design is the settling rate of the particles as a function of the system parameters
such as particle size and shape, concentration, geometry of the system, etc. The effect of
concentration on the settling slurry continuously increases with time. The effect of
geometry of the system on the settling rate can be significant. When the cylinder is
tilted, Boycott (1920) found that the settling rate increases due to shorter sedimentation
path. This phenomenon is known as the Boycott effect, and is used to enhance the rate of
settling in some applications.
[2]


OBJECTIVE

This experiment aims to determine the effects of initial height and initial concentration on
sedimentation characteristics. Another is to determine the average size particles of the solids
using experimental settling data.

REFERENCES
1 Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering, McCabe, Smith and Harriot
2 Boycott (1920), Nature, 104, 532.