UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL MAYOR DE

SAN MARCOS
Facultad de Qumica e Ingeniera
Qumica
Escuela Acadmico Profesional de
Ingeniera Qumica
Departamento de Operaciones
Unitarias

CURSO
MECANICA DE FLUIDOS Y
SEPARACION DE FASES
Desplazamiento de solidos en el seno
de fluidos
Profesor : Ing Gilberto Salas
Colotta

Desplazamiento de solidos
en el seno de fluidos

Introduction

i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
.
.

Settling - process by which particulates settle to the bottom of a

liquid and form a sediment.
Sediment - any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid
flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles
on the bed or bottom of a body of water or other liquid.
Sedimentation - the deposition by settling of a suspended
material.
-the separation of a dilute slurry or suspension by
gravity settling into a clear fluid and a slurry of higher solids
content
In settling and sedimentation, the particles are separated from the
fluid by gravitational forces acting on the particles
Applications of settling and sedimentation:
removal of solids from liquid sewage wastes
Separation of liquid-liquid mixture from a solvent-extraction stage in
a settler
Settling of solid food particles from a liquid food
Settling of a slurry from a soybean leaching process
When a particle is at a sufficient distance from the walls of the
container and from other particles so that its fall is not affected by
them, the process is called free settling
When the particles are crowded, the settle at lower rate and is

Theory of Particle Movement

Through a Solid
1. Derivation of basic equations for rigid spheres

Whenever a particle is moving through a fluid, a number of forces will be acting on

the particle
A density difference is needed between the particle and the fluid. Therefore, an
external force of gravity is needed to impart motion to the particle. When the
densities is equal, the buoyant force will counterbalance the external force
Forces for a rigid particle moving in a fluid that acting on the body : gravity acting
downward, buoyant force acting upward, and resistance or drag force acting in
opposite direction to the particle motion
The density of solid particle is p kg/m3 solid and the liquid is kg/m3 liquid. The
buoyant force Fb in N on the particle of mass m kg falling at a velocity v m/s relative
(1)
to the fluid is:

where m/p is the volume Vp(2)

, in m3 of the particle and g is the gravitational
acceleration in m/s2.
The gravitation or external force Fg in N on the particle is:
The drag force FD on a body in N may be derived from the
thedrag
fact
that, as
coefficient
CDin
is flow
the of
(3) proportionality
fluids, the drag force or frictional resistance is proportional
to the constant
velocityand
head
is v2/2
dimensionless.
of the fluid displaced by the moving body. This must be
multiplied by the density of

Theory of Particle Movement

Through a Solid

The resultant force on the body is the Fg-Fb-FD. This resultant force must equal the
force due the acceleration:

(4)

Substituting Eq. (1)-(3) into (4),

(5)

When the moment of the body is released from its position of rest, the falling of the
body consist of two periods: the period of accelerated fall and the period of
constant-velocity fall.
The initial acceleration is very short. So, the period of constant-velocity fall is the
important one. It is called the free settling velocity or terminal velocity vt

To solve the terminal velocity in Eq. (5), dv/dt = 0 and the equation becomes

For spherical particles m = Dp3p/6 and A = Dp2/4. Substituting these into Eq. (6),
for spherical particles:
(7)

(6)

where vt is m/s (ft/s), is kg/m3 (Ibm/ft3), g is 9.80665 m/s2 (32.174 ft/s2), and is m (ft).

Theory of Particle Movement Through a

Solid

2. Drag coefficient for rigid spheres

The drag coefficient for rigid spheres has been shown to be a function of the
Reynolds number Dpv/ of the sphere
In laminar-flow region, called the Stokes law region for NRe<1, the drag coefficient
is:

(8)

where is the viscosity of the liquid in Pas or kg/ms (Ibm/fts).

Substituting into Eq. (7) for laminar flow,

For other shapes of particles, drag coefficients will be different

If the particles are quite small, Brownian motion is present. Brownian motion is the
random motion imparted to the particle by collisions between the molecules of the
fluid surrounding the particle and the particle.
This movement is in random directions to suppress the effect of the gravity, so
settling of the particles may occur more slowly or not at all
The effect becomes appreciable when the particle sizes is a few micrometers and at
size of less then 0.1 m, the effect predominates.
For very small particles, the centrifugal force help to reduce the effect
For particles that are rigid but nonspherical, the drag upon the shape of the particle
and the orientation of the particle with respect to its motion

(9)

Theory of Particle Movement Through a

Solid

Fig. 1 Drag coefficient for a rigid sphere.

Example 1
Oil droplets having a diameter of 20 m (0.020 mm) are to be settled from air
at
temperature of 37.8C (311 K) and 101.3 kPa pressure. The density of the oil
is 900
kg/m3. Calculate the terminal settling velocity of the droplets.

Solution:
The various knowns are Dp = 2.0 X 10-5 m and p, = 900 kg/m3.From Appendix
A.3, for
air at 37.8C, = 1.137 kg/m3, = 1.90 X 10 Pas. The droplet will be
assumed to be a
rigid sphere.
(10)
The solution is trial and error since the velocity is unknown. Hence, CD cannot
be directly
determined. The Reynolds number is as follows:
(11)
For the first trial, assume that vt = 0.305 m/s. Then NRe = 1.197(0.305) =
(12)
0.365.
Substituting into Eq. (7) and solving for CD,

Example 1
Assuming that vt = 0.0305 m/s, NRe = 0.0365 from Eq. (10) and CD = 222
from Eq. (11).
For the third trial, assuming that vt = 0.00305 m/s, NRe = 0.00365 and CD =
22 200.
These three values calculated for NRe and CD are plotted on a graph similar to
Fig. 1 and
shown in Fig. 2. It can be shown that the line through these points is a
straight line. The
intersection of this line and the drag-coefficient correlation line is the
solution to the
problem at NRe = 0.012. The velocity can be calculated from the Reynolds
number in
Eq. (10):

The particle is in the Reynolds number range less than 1, which is the laminar
Stokes
law region. Alternatively, the velocity can be calculated by substituting into
Eq. (9):

Example 1

FIGURE 2. Solution of Example 1 for settling velocity of a particle.

EXAMPLE

Settling velocity of dust particles

Calculate the settling velocity of dust particles of
60 m diameter in air at 21C and 100 kPa
pressure. Assume that the particles are spherical
and density = 1280 kg m-3, and that the viscosity
of air = 1.8 x 10-5 N s m-2 and density of air = 1.2
kg m-3.

For 60 m particle:
v =

gD p2 ( p )
18

(60 x 10-6)2 x 9.81 x (1280 - 1.2)

(18 x 1.8 x 10-5)

= 0.14 m s-1
Checking the Reynolds number for the 60 m particles,

Re

(vbD/)

(60 x 10-6 x 0.14 x 1.2) / (1.8 x 10-5)

0.56

Physical Properties of Air at 101.325 kPa (1 Atm Abs), SI Units

Hindered settling
Definition:
If the settling is carried out with high concentrations of solids to liquid
so that the particles are so close together that collision between the
particles is practically continuous and the relative fall of particles
involves repeated pushing apart of the lighter by the heavier particles
it is called hindered settling.

particles interfere
with each other

Hindered Settling
particle interactions change settling velocity

discrete particles
higher solids concentration reduces
velocity

flocculating particles
experiments only

Hindered Settling

For such hindered floe, the settling velocity is less than would be
calculated from Eq. (9) for Stokes law
The true drag force is greater in the suspension because of the
interference of the other particles
The higher effective viscosity of the mixture m is equal to the actual
viscosity of the liquid itself, , divided by an empirical correction factor,
p, which depends upon , the volume fraction of the slurry mixture
occupied by the liquid:
(12)

Where p is dimensionless and is as follows:

(13)

The density of the fluid phase effectively become the bulk density of the
slurry m, which is as follows:
(14)

Where is the density of slurry m in kg + liquid/m3. The density difference

(15)
is now

Hindered Settling

substituting mixture properties of m from Eq. (12) for in Eq. (9), (p-m),
from Eq. (15) for (p-), and multiplying the result by for the relativevelocity effect, Eq. (9) becomes, for laminar settling,
(16)

This is the velocity calculated from Eq. (9), multiplied by the correction
factor (2p) .

The Reynolds number is then based on the velocity relative to the fluid
and is

When the Reynolds number is less then 1, the settling is in the Stokes law
range

Example 2
Calculate the settling velocity of glass spheres having a diameter of 1.554 X
10-4 m (5.10
x 10-4 ft) in water at 293.2 K (20C). The slurry contains 60 wt % solids. The
density of
the glass spheres is p, = 2467 kg/m3 (154 lbm/ft3).

Solution:
Density of water = 998 kg/m3 (62.3 lbm/ft3), and viscosity of water = 1.005
x 10-3 Pas
(6.72 x 10-4 lbm/fts). To calculate the volume fractions of the liquid,

The bulk density of the slurry m, according to Eq. (14) is

Substituting into Eq. (13),

Substituting into Eq. (16), using SI and English units,

Example 2
The Reynolds number is obtained by substituting into Eq. (17):

Hence, the settling is in the laminar range.

Wall Effect on Free

Settling
When
the diameter D of the particle becomes appreciable with respect to
p

the diameter Dw of the container in which the settling is occurring, a

retarding effect known as the wall effect is exerted on the particle.
The terminal settling velocity is reduced
In the case of settling in the Stokes ;aw regime, the computed terminal
velocity can be multiplied by the following to allow the wall effect for Dp/Dw
<0.05:
(18)
For a completely turbulent regime, the correction factor is
(19)

Sedimentacin de una
partcula en un fluido.
La sedimentacin de slidos en lquidos esta
gobernada por la ley de Stokes, que indica
que las partculas sedimentan ms
fcilmente cuando mayor es su dimetro, su
peso especfico comparado con el del
lquido, y cuanto menor es la viscosidad del
lquido.
Por ello, cuando se quiere favorecer la
sedimentacin se trata de aumentar el
dimetro de las partculas, haciendo que se
agreguen unas a otras, proceso denominado
coagulacin y floculacin.

Desplazamiento de solidos en el
seno de un fluido
La direccion del movimiento de las
particulas de un solido en el seno de
fluido se efectuara de arriba hacia abajo,
o viceversa, segn sea la densidad
relativa del solido con respecto a la del
fluido.
Este hecho constituye la base de un
procedimiento para la separacion de
particulas solidas segn sus distintas
densidades, operacin que se conoce
con el nombre declasificacion o

Desplazamiento de solidos en el
seno de un fluido
Aquellas particulas cuya densidad sea inferior
a la del fluido, se elevaran y flotaran, mientras
que las mas densas, se sumergiran y
descenderan en el seno del mismo.
Si se utilizan las propiedades superficiales del
solido y la incorporacion de ciertos productos
adsorbidos por las superficies de las
particulas, se consigue la flotacion de las
particulas, consiguiendose asi la flotacion de
un solido y el hundimiento de otro,
independientemente de cuales sean las
respectivas relaciones de densidad entre cada

Velocidad limite de cada o

velocidad mxima
Esta ecuacin nos
dice que se alcanza
la velocidad lmite
Vt
Vm despus de un
tiempo pequeo. Si
representamos V en
funcin del tiempo t
la grfica tienen una
asntota horizontal
en V=Vt

Sedimentacion libre

Asentamiento o sedimentacion
libre
Se dice que estamos ante un
asentamiento libre cuando las
partculas se mueven en un
fluido cuyo volumen es grande
con relacin al volumen total
ocupado por las partculas (no
existe
fenmenos
de
apiamiento).
Estaremos en condiciones de
asentamiento libre en aquellas
pulpas minerales con un
porcentaje en peso de slidos
inferior al 15 %.

Balance de fuerzas

Sedimentacin libre de una

partcula en un fluido.
Fe
FR
Fg

Fg= fuerza de la gravedad

= mg
Fe= fuerza de empuje =
wg =Vpg
Vp = volumen de la
particula
FR = fuerza de rozamiento
aumenta segn aumenta
la velocidad de cada

Teora del movimiento de las

partculas a travs de un fluido
Para una sola partcula
liquido

Fb

FD

FG

FG

FD

Rozamiento (fluidos)
Friccin (dinmica)
Fuerza de retardo (operaciones)

Cuando una partcula se mueve a travs de un fluido, varias

fuerzas actan sobre ella: la gravedad que acta hacia abajo
(FG), la fuerza de flotacin que acta hacia arriba (F b) y la
resistencia o fuerza de retardo que acta en direccin opuesta al
movimiento de la partcula (FD).
Consideraremos una partcula de masa m kg cayendo a una
velocidad de v rn/s con relacin al fluido. La densidad de la
partcula slida es p kg/m3 de slido y la del lquido es

kg/m3 de lquido. La fuerza de flotacin Fb en N sobre la

partcula es
(1)
m

donde es el volumen Vp en m3 de la partcula, y g es la

aceleracin de la gravedad en m/s2.
p

La fuerza de gravitacin o externa Fg en N que acta sobre la

partcula es
(2)
La fuerza de arrastre FD sobre un cuerpo, en N, se puede deducir del hecho de
que, como en el caso de flujo de fluidos, la resistencia al flujo o arrastre es
proporcional a la carga de velocidad v 2/2 del fluido desplazado por el cuerpo en
movimiento. Esto se debe multiplicar por la densidad del fluido y por un rea
significativa A, tal como el rea proyectada de la partcula.

(3)
donde el coeficiente de arrastre CD es la constante de proporcionalidad, esto
es, un numero adimensional.

Entonces, la fuerza resultante sobre el cuerpo es

Esta fuerza resultante debe ser igual a la debida a la aceleracin:

(4)
Sustituyendo las ecuaciones (1), (2) y (3) en la (4),
(5)
Si empezamos desde el momento en que el cuerpo deja de estar en reposo, su
cada pasa por dos periodos: el de cada acelerada y el de cada a velocidad
constante. El periodo inicial de aceleracin suele ser bastante corto, del orden
de una dcima de segundo ms o menos. Por consiguiente, el periodo de cada
a velocidad constante es el ms importante. A esta velocidad se le llama
velocidad de precipitacin libre o velocidad terminal v t.

Para despejar el valor de la velocidad terminal en la ecuacin (5),

y la expresin toma la forma

(6)

Para partculas esfricas,

Sustituyendo estos valores en la ecuacin (6), se obtiene, para partculas
esfricas:

(7)
Donde v, se da en m/s (pie/s), p en kg/m3 (lb,/pie3), g tiene el valor 9.80665
m/s2 (32.174 pie/s2) y Dp se da en m (pie).

Coeficiente de arrastre para esferas

rgidas.
En la regin del flujo
laminar, llamada regin de
la ley de Stokes para NRe <
1, el coeficiente de arrastre,
es
(8)
donde u es la viscosidad del
lquido en Pa * s o kg/m.s (lb,/pie
* s). Sustituyendo en la ecuacin
(7) para flujo laminar.
Relacin que expresa la Ley de Stokes y
sirve de fundamento para el estudio de la
sedimentacin.

(9)

Cuando D > 1,0 mm, Re > 1.000, presenta flujo turbulento, para lo cual:

CD = 0,4
Reemplazando los valores anteriores en la ecuacin (7), se obtiene una
velocidad terminal de:

vt

3.3 p gD p

conocida como la ecuacin de Newton.

Sedimentacin retardada
En muchos casos de precipitacin, el numero de partculas es
demasiado grande y las propias partculas interfieren entre si
debido a su movimiento.
En un flujo frenado, la velocidad de precipitacin es inferior a lo
que resultara de un calculo con la ley de Stokes. La fuerza de
arrastre real es mayor en la suspensin, debido a la interferencia
de las otras partculas. Esta viscosidad efectiva mas alta de la
mezcla, , es igual a la viscosidad del propio liquido, , dividido
entre un factor de correccin emprico, , que depende de ,
esto es de la fraccin de volumen de la mezcla o suspensin
ocupada por el liquido.
m

(10)

101.82 1

(11)

La densidad de la fase fluida equivale, de hecho, a la densidad

General de la suspensin , que es como sigue:
m

m 1 p

(12)

Donde es la densidad de la suspensin en Kg slido +liquido/m3.

Con esto la diferencia de densidades es:
m

p m p p 1 p p

(13)

La velocidad de precipitacin vt con respecto al aparato es multiplicado por la

velocidad calculada con la ley de Stokes. Sustituyendo el valor de m de la

ecuacin (10) por de la ecuacin (9) y de la ecuacin (13) por
y multiplicando el resultado por para el efecto de la velocidad relativa, la
ecuacin (9) para precipitacin laminar se transforma en:
p

vt

gD p

18

(14)

Esto corresponde a la velocidad calculada con la ecuacin (9)

multiplicada por el factor de correccin
Entonces el numero de Reynolds se basa en la velocidad con
respecto al fluido, y es
2

(15)