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(CDB 3052)
EXPERIMENT 6:
SEDIMENTATION STUDIES APPARATUS
GROUP 1 MEMBERS
18996
19323
19417
18806
5) KOI ZI KANG
18868
LAB DEMONSTRATOR
DATE
INDEX
1. INTRODUCTION
3. DISCUSSION
23
4. CONCLUSION
26
27
6. REFERENCES
29
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Sedimentation is the process of suspended particle in a solution to settle down and form its on
barrier or layer usually at the bottom. The driving force for sedimentation may be due to gravity,
centrifugal acceleration and even electromagnetism.
Settling is the process of which suspended particle falls through the liquid while
sedimentation marks the end of the settling process itself. At the beginning of this experiment
the solid are evenly distributed in the liquid. The initial depth of suspension are recorded as Zo.
Aster a certain time, the liquid will divide into 4 zone. Zone D is the clear liquid zone, zone C is
the transition layer, zone B is the original liquid zone and Zone A is the settling zone.
As settling continues, the depth of zone A and D will increase and Zone B will decrease
while Zone C remains nearly constant. After some time, Zone B will disappear and the solids were
transferred to Zone C and D. at the same time, the accumulation of the solids at the bottom will
act as a force that compress the settled solid at the bottom, forcing the remaining liquid in Zone
A to spurt into other layers. Settling process will stop when the weight of the solid is balanced by
the compressive strength of the flocs. This marks the end of sedimentation process where the
settling process has stopped.
The main objective of the first part of the experiment is to study the effect of different
initial heights and concentration on the settling rate of corn starch while the second part of the
experiment focus more on the effect of volume of flocculants on the settling rate.
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with the thicker sludge layers. The design of an industrial thickener will need for experimental
studies on the settling rate for different initial heights and concentrations.
Figure 1 shows the method of determining the settling velocities and all the mechanism of
settling:
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PROCEDURE
Experiment A: Settling rate for different initial heights and concentrations.
1. 5 empty cylinder are being prepared before starting the experiment.
2. 5 corn starch solutions are prepared as follow :
a. Cylinder 1 (C1)
Concentration: 50g of corn starch in 2L of water
Zo: 90 cm
b. Cylinder 2 (C2)
Concentration: 100g of corn starch in 2L of water
Zo: 90 cm
c. Cylinder 3 (C3)
Concentration: 50g of corn starch in 2L of water
Zo: 60 cm
d. Cylinder 4 (C4)
Concentration: 50g of corn starch in 2L of water
Zo: 60 cm
e. Cylinder 5 (C5)
Concentration: 100g of corn starch in 2L of water
Zo: 30 cm
3. The solution are stirred until we get uniform distribution of suspended particle.
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4. The prepared solution are being poured into 5 different cylinder with same dimension for
the cylinder. The cylinder are being put for observation with back panel illumination
behind it.
5. The stopwatch was started at t=0 and the height of clear liquid interface are being
measured every 5 minutes until settling process stopped.
6. Final time (tf ) and final height (Zf) for each cylinder are being recorded.
7. The result are tabulated in a table and a graph of Z vs t are being plotted.
Experiment B: Settling rate for different volume of flocculants
1. 5 empty cylinder are being prepared before starting the experiment.
2. Flocculants is prepared by mixing 2g of Aluminium Oxide (Alum) in 100ml of water.
3. 5 corn starch solutions are prepared as follow :
a. Cylinder 1 (C1)
Concentration: 50g of corn starch in 2L of water
Zo: 90 cm
Flocculent: 5 mL
b. Cylinder 2 (C2)
Concentration: 100g of corn starch in 2L of water
Zo: 90 cm
Flocculent: 10 mL
c. Cylinder 3 (C3)
Concentration: 50g of corn starch in 2L of water
Zo: 60 cm
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Flocculent: 15 mL
d. Cylinder 4 (C4)
Concentration: 100g of corn starch in 2L of water
Zo: 60 cm
Flocculent: 20 mL
e. Cylinder 5 (C5)
Concentration: 100g of corn starch in 2L of water
Zo: 30 cm
Flocculent: 25 mL
4. The solution are stirred until we get uniform distribution of suspended particle.
5. The prepared solution are being poured into 5 different cylinder with same dimension for
the cylinder. The cylinder are being put for observation with back panel illumination
behind it.
6. The stopwatch was started at t=0 and the height of clear liquid interface are being
measured every 5 minutes until settling process stopped.
7. Final time (tf ) and final height (Zf) for each cylinder are being recorded.
8. The result are tabulated in a table and a graph of Z vs t are being plotted.
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(roundness
and
sphericity)
and
density
of
the
grains,
as
well
as
to
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I.
Stokes Drag
For dilute suspensions, Stokes' law predicts the settling velocity of small spheres in fluid, either
air or water. This originates due to the strength of viscous forces at the surface of the particle
providing the majority of the retarding force. Stokes' law finds many applications in the natural
sciences, and is given by:
(Eq. 2.1)
where w is the settling velocity, is density (the subscripts p and f indicate particle and fluid
respectively), g is the acceleration due to gravity,r is the radius of the particle and is the
dynamic viscosity of the fluid.
Stokes' law applies when the Reynolds number, Re, of the particle is less than 0.1.
Experimentally Stokes' law is found to hold within 1% for
for
and within 9%
, within 3%
begins to break down due to the increasing importance of fluid inertia, requiring the use of
empirical solutions to calculate drag forces.
II.
Newtonian Drag
the impact pressure of the fluid, a coefficient that can be considered as the transfer of available
fluid force into drag is established. In this region the inertia of the impacting fluid is responsible
for the majority of force transfer to the particle.
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(Eq. 2.2)
For a spherical particle in the Stokes regime this value is not constant, however in the
Newtonian drag regime the drag on a sphere can be approximated by a constant, 0.44. This
constant value implies that the efficiency of transfer of energy from the fluid to the particle
is not a function of fluid velocity.
As such the terminal velocity of a particle in a Newtonian regime can again be obtained by
equating the drag force to the applied force, resulting in the following expression
(Eq.2.2.1)
III.
Transitional Drag
In the intermediate region between Stokes drag and Newtonian drag, there exists a transitional
regime, where the analytical solution to the problem of a falling sphere becomes problematic.
To solve this, empirical expressions are used to calculate drag in this region. One such empirical
equation is that of Schiller and Naumann, and may be valid for
:[3]
(Eq.2.3)
The choice of equation is made based on Reynolds number.
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The following is a diagram of the correlation between Reynold's Number and Drag Coefficient
for Rigid Spherical Bodies.
The average settling velocity for a particular plot at any given time is then equivalent to
settling velocity = (height at time 1 - original height) / (time required to reach current height)
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C1
91.4
90.0
89.7
89.2
89.1
88.6
88.2
88.0
87.5
87.4
87.2
87.0
86.9
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
C5
30.8
30.6
30.2
29.9
29.5
29.4
29.3
29.0
28.9
28.9
28.9
28.9
28.9
100.0
80.0
70.0
C1
(C4) y =- 0.0384x + 0.3418
60.0
C2
C3
C4
40.0
C5
Linear (C1)
30.0
Linear (C2)
20.0
Linear (C3)
Linear (C4)
10.0
Linear (C5)
0.0
-10
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Time (min)
91.0
90.0
C1
89.0
88.0
Linear (C1)
87.0
y = -0.0673x + 90.495
86.0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Time (min)
89.0
88.5
C2
88.0
87.5
y = -0.0518x + 89.299
87.0
Linear (C2)
86.5
86.0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Time (min)
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62.0
61.0
60.0
C3
59.0
58.0
Linear (C3)
57.0
y = -0.0578x + 60.273
56.0
0
20
40
60
80
Time (min)
61.5
61.0
60.5
60.0
C4
59.5
59.0
Linear (C4)
y = -0.0384x + 60.658
58.5
58.0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Time (min)
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31.0
30.5
30.0
C5
29.5
29.0
Linear (C5)
28.5
y = -0.0326x + 30.456
28.0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Time (min)
92.0
91.0
90.0
89.0
C1
y = -0.0673x + 90.495
88.0
C2
Linear (C1)
87.0
Linear (C2)
y = -0.0518x + 89.299
86.0
85.0
0
20
40
60
80
Time (min)
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62.0
61.0
y = -0.0384x + 60.658
60.0
C3
59.0
C4
58.0
Linear (C3)
57.0
y = -0.0578x + 60.273
Linear (C4)
56.0
0
20
40
60
80
Time (min)
100.0
80.0
C2
y = -0.0518x + 89.299
60.0
C4
y = -0.0384x + 60.658
40.0
C5
Linear (C2)
20.0
y = -0.0326x + 30.456
Linear (C4)
0.0
20
40
60
80
Linear (C5)
Time (min)
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Interface Height,Z(cm)
100.0
80.0
y = -0.0673x + 90.495
60.0
C1
40.0
C3
y = -0.0578x + 60.273
Linear (C1)
20.0
Linear (C3)
0.0
0
20
40
60
80
Time (min)
Experiment B
Time
(min)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
C1
90.0
89.9
89.5
89.0
88.9
88.8
88.6
88.5
88.4
88.3
88.0
87.8
87.7
C5
30.8
30.3
30.0
29.9
29.8
29.7
29.5
29.1
28.9
28.9
28.9
28.7
28.6
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100.0
90.0
y = -0.037x + 89.834
80.0
70.0
60.0
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
Linear (C1)
Linear (C4)
Linear (C5)
y = -0.0382x + 60.516
50.0
40.0
30.0
y = -0.0341x + 30.491
20.0
10.0
0.0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Time (min)
90.5
90.0
89.5
89.0
C1
88.5
88.0
Linear (C1)
87.5
y = -0.037x + 89.834
87.0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Time (min)
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90.0
89.0
C2
88.5
Linear
(C2)
88.0
Linear
(C2)
87.5
y = -0.0353x + 89.474
87.0
0
20
40
60
80
Time (min)
61.0
60.5
89.5
60.0
C3
59.5
59.0
58.5
Linear
(C3)
58.0
y = -0.0434x + 60.495
57.5
0
20
40
60
80
Time (min)
61.0
60.5
60.0
C4
59.5
59.0
Linear
(C4)
58.5
y = -0.0382x + 60.516
58.0
0
20
40
60
80
Time (min)
31.0
30.0
C5
29.5
29.0
Linear
(C5)
28.5
y = -0.0341x + 30.491
28.0
0
20
40
60
80
Time (min)
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Error: The time to start the stopwatch after shaking up the suspension and placing it back
onto the panel is not same for all the samples.
Recommendation: Make sure that all the cylinders are placed onto the panel
simultaneously so that the stopwatch can be started at the same time.
II.
III.
Error: The accumulation of particles occur very fast even before pouring it into the
cylinder.
Recommendation: Make sure to stir all the solutions thoroughly before pouring it into
the cylinder.
IV.
Error: Reaction time error in calling the time and reading the heights
Recommendation: Use some type of digital equipment which can read the heights at the
specified time intervals.
V.
Error: The brightness of back panel illumination light is low which made the clear interface
of fluid barely visible.
Recommendation: Back panel illuminations light should be brighter or using different
color of light so that the clear interface of fluid is visible enough for us to read the height.
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3.0 DISCUSSION
Experiment A: Settling rate for different initial heights and concentrations.
In this experiment, the final suspension heights were 86.9cm, 86.2cm, 57.4cm, 58.5cm and
28.9cm for initial heights of approximately 90cm, 90cm, 60cm, 60cm and 30cm. From the results
obtained, with the same concentration, comparing set 2, 3 & 5, set 5 reaches constant final height
within 45min, set 4 is within 55min and set 1 does not seem to reach constant final height after
60min. From this data, we can see that the settling rate is faster when the initial height of the
solution is lower. This may due to the non-uniform suspension. However, in general, the height
of the initial suspension does not really affect the rate of sedimentation. In terms of
concentration difference, while comparing set 3 and set 4, set 3 reaches a lower final height as
compared to set 4. This signifies that when the concentration is higher, the settling rate is slower.
This is because when the solution is having higher concentration, there are more particles in the
solution, the molecules of the solution are closer to each other, which causes less free space for
the molecules to pass through and fall. This is called hindered settling. The settling velocity for
each solution is not constant throughout the experiment and few sets such as set 1 and set 2
could not reach a constant final height within 60 min, thus the settling velocities cannot be
determined accurately.
58.1cm,
58.4cm
&
28.6cm for 5ml, 10ml, 15ml, 20ml, and 25ml of flocculants respectively. We found that the
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settling rate for set 3, 4 and 5 increases as compared to experiment A. The function of flocculants
is to bring together coagulated particles into larger aggregates and settle them. Flocculation
occurs after the addition of chemical to destabilize the charges on the colloidal particles in
suspension. The particles adhere to each other via the flocculants ions on the surface of the
particles. These charged ions provide an opportunity for charged particles in a system to adhere
to them, thereby merging individual particles. This results in larger, denser flocculants that settle
more rapidly and thus increases the settling rate. However, from the results obtained, the data
does not consistently support the theory as the settling rate for set 1 and 2 did not increase. Such
error might be due to insufficient amount of flocculants used. The suspension not being stirred
uniformly might be the cause of this error too. Therefore, the more volume of flocculants used,
the faster the settling rate.
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4.0 CONCLUSION
In this experiment, we managed to achieve two learning outcomes. For the first
outcome which is to study the effect of different initial heights and concentrations on the
settling rate, we found that when the initial height of the suspension is lower, the settling rate
is faster. However, generally, the initial height of suspension does not affect the settling rate in
which we can see that there is no height being included in the equation of Stokes Law to
calculate settling velocity. The suspension not being stirred uniformly might be the cause to
such result. For concentration difference, we found that the higher the concentration of
suspension is high, the lower the settling rate. This is because higher concentration suspension
contains more particles which limit the free space for particle to settle and thus hinder the
settling process.
From experiment B, which is our second learning outcome, we managed to study the
effect different volume of flocculants on the settling rate. As we can see, most sets in
experiment B results in a faster settling rate as compared to experiment A. We found that the
higher the volume of flocculants used, the faster the settling rate of the particles. Flocculants
are chemicals that promote flocculation by causing colloids and other suspended particles in
liquids to aggregate, forming a flock. The utilization of flocculants in this experiment is to help
coagulate the lighter particles that would not settle. By doing so, the fine particle will clump
together hence forming a big lump in order to increase their density and settle faster. However,
a certain sufficient amount of flocculants is needed to achieve high settling rate. All in all, the
objectives of the experiments are achieved.
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Size
The small particle tends to settle more slowly than large particle as it tends to be in
suspension in the liquid for a longer time while the large one settle faster due to the pull
of gravity. This phenomenal is sometimes called graded bedding or vertical sorting.
Shape
The round shaped particle tends to settle faster than the flat particle of equal sizes as it
experience less resistance in the water compare to the flat one at much faster rate.
Density
The higher the density of the particle, the faster the time taken for the particle to settle
down. If 2 particles with same size were put in the water, the one with higher density
will settle first.
Velocity
The velocity of the fluid also affect the settling of the particle. The higher velocity means
that the fluid has higher carrying power of the particle causing more particles are bing
carried over time and more solids to be deposited.
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6.0 REFERENCES
Coe, H.S.; Clevenger, G.H. (1916). Methods for determining the capacities of slime-settling
tanks.
Geankoplis, C. J., (1995) Transport Processes and Unit Operations, 3rd Edition, Prentice Hall.
McCabe, W. L., E (1993) Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering, 5th Edition, Prentice Hall PTR.
Transactions of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers 55: 356.
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