CENTRAL PHILIPPINE ChE 4203 Chemical

UNIVERSITY Engineering Laboratory 1

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Jaro, Iloilo City, Philippines
Group No. 2 Name: Donna Mae R. Galaez Expt. No. 4 Sedimentation
I. Objectives:

1. To know the principles of sedimentation by using the sedimentation apparatus

2. To know the effect of particle size in the setting velocity

II. Theory:

Sedimentation is a process used widely in the clarification of water and wastewater.

Particles settle from suspension in different ways, depending on the concentration of the
suspension and the characteristics of the particles. The simplest type of sedimentation is the
settling of a dilute suspension of particles that have little or no tendency to flocculate. In these
circumstances, the prediction of clarification rates and their scale-up to plant design is
relatively straightforward. For higher concentrations where inter-particle effects become
significant and where agglomeration may take place, different regimes of settling rate occur,
known as zone settling (Fig 1). Information from batch tests for such systems forms a vital
part of the search for the optimum design and operation of industrial sedimentation tanks.
Suspensions containing different concentration of sediments are being studied and the
differences in sedimentation rate observed by measuring the changes in height of the various
solid/liquid interfaces with respect to time are plotted in Figure 2.

Figure 1. Settling regimes Figure 2. Typical sedimentation curves

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 There are two basic types of settling that takes place, hindered settling and free settling.
Hindered settling occurs when the concentration of the solution is high enough for there to be
significant interaction between the particles. The frictional force exerted at a given velocity of
the particles relative to the fluid may be greatly increased as a result of modifications to the
flow pattern. Free or particulate settling occurs when the concentration of the solution is low
and the particles are sufficiently far apart to freely settle regardless of their nature. Faster
settling particles may collide with slower moving ones where they may cohere or continue
downward at their own settling velocity. The cohered particles settle at a rate greater than that
of the individual particles and there is a gradual transition from particulate settling into zone
settling regime where the particles are forced to settle as a mass. The settling rate of the mass is
a function of the solids concentration. The sedimentation velocities of the particles tend to
decrease steadily as the concentration of the suspension is increased.

For concentrated suspensions there are two main types of settling Type 1 and Type 2
(Fig 3). In Type 1 settling, the suspension settles into four zones, a clear liquid zone, a constant
composition zone, a variable composition zone and sediment. In Type 2 settling, there are only
three zones with the constant composition zone absent. When the suspension is first allowed to
settle, there is a brief period of acceleration, followed by the constant downward movement of
the interface between the clear liquid and the suspension. The sediment accumulates at the
bottom of the vessel. When the interface approaches the layer of sediment, its rate of fall
decreases until the critical settling point is reached i.e. when the direct interface is formed
between the sediment and the clear liquid. Further sedimentation results in the agglomeration
of the sediment and the increased upward
movement of the liquid.

Figure 3. Sedimentation of concentrated suspensions

(a) Type 1 settling (b) Type 2 settling
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 The final consolidation of the sediment is the slowest part of the process because the
displaced fluid has to flow through the small spaces between the particles. As consolidation
occurs, the rate falls off because the resistance to the flow of liquid progressively increases.
The porosity of the sediment is smallest at the bottom because the compressive force due to the
weight of particles is greatest and because the lower portion was formed at an earlier stage in
the sedimentation process.

For batch settling carried out in vertical tubes the main factors which affect the process
are the height of the suspension, the diameter of the vessel, and the volumetric concentration.
Generally the height of the suspension does not affect the rate of sedimentation or the
consistency of the sediment obtained. However if the position of the interface is plotted as a
function of time for two or more different height, then it is seen that they vary by a constant
factor.

If the ratio of the diameter of the vessel to the diameter of the particle is greater than
about 100, the walls of the container appear to have no effect on the rate of sedimentation. For
smaller values, the sedimentation rate may be reduced because of the retarding influence of the
walls. As already indicated, the higher the concentration, the lower is the rate of fall of the
sludge line because the greater is the upward velocity of the displaced fluid and the steeper are
the velocity gradients in the fluid.

Figure 4. Layers that form in the batch sedimentation

The uses of sedimentation in industry fall into the following categories: (1) solidliquid
separation (2) solidsolid separation (3) particle-size measurement by sedimentation and other
operations such as mass transfer, washing, etc. In solidliquid separation, the solids are
removed from the liquid either because the solids or the liquid are valuable or because these
have to be separated before disposal.
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 If the primary purpose is to produce the solids in a highly concentrated slurry, the
process is called thickening. If the purpose is to clarify the liquid, the process is called
clarification. Usually, the feed concentration to a thickener is higher than that to a clarifier.
Some types of equipment, if correctly designed and operated, can accomplish both clarification
and thickening in one stage.

III. Materials and Apparatus:

A. Materials:

Chalk, water

B. Apparatus:

Sedimentation Study apparatus, graduated cylinder, triple beam balance,

stopwatch, Erlenmeyer flask, beaker, mortar and pestle

IV. Procedure:

The cylinders of the sedimentation study apparatus was cleaned first and checked to see
if there were any leakages. The chalk was pounded into fine particles using the mortar and
pestle. Next, the powdered chalk was weighed into 10, 20 and 30 grams using the triple beam
balance. After that, the powdered chalk was placed into an Erlenmeyer flask and add 1.5 L of
water. The solution was shook to obtain a homogeneous composition. Next, the suspension was
transferred into the sedimentation apparatus cylinder making sure that no powdered chalk was
left on the Erlenmeyer flask. The cylinder was shook again so that some of the chalk that
settled was diffused throughout the suspension again. The cylinder was placed back to the
sedimentation study apparatus and timer was began. Switch on the backlight for easier reading
and record height of sedimentation in the required time as indicated in the table in Section VI
(Data and Results). The sediments were allowed to settle for 24 hours to take the final reading
of each cylinder.

V. Diagram:

(see attached page)

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VI. Data and Results:

Table 1. Height of sedimentation at different times of three concentrations of solids

Height of Sedimentation (mm)

Time (min) 1 2 3
(10g/1.5li) (20g/1.5li) (30g/1.5li)
1 716 724 698
2 715 720 675
3 714.5 700 510
4 714 675 420
5 713.5 658 320
10 713 350 260
20 710 17.5 170
30 8 18 110
60 9 20 50
1440 9.5 20 36.5

1 2 3
Initial wt. of solid(g) 10 20 30
Concentration,(g/li) 6.6667 13.333 20
Final Height of Sediment, (mm) 9.5 20 36.5

VII. Observation and Discussion of Results:

This experiment presented the principles of sedimentation and we have observed them
through the movement of the chalk particles. As soon as the chalk suspension was transferred
from the Erlenmeyer flask to the glass cylinder, some of the chalk already settled out so we
need to tilt sideways the cylinder to disperse the powdered chalk again. Settling started as soon
as the cylinder was fitted onto the apparatus.

In this experiment, the effect of different concentrations of suspension was investigated

at 10, 20 and 30 grams. Since the settling vessel or cylinder was long cylindrical tube that was

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vertically oriented, the vessel had little or no effect on the rate of sedimentation. The solids
were moving downward and the settling that is occurring is due to gravity.

The rate of sedimentation or settling is greatly affected by the concentration of the

solids and size of the settling particles as can be seen in Table 1. The higher the concentration
of the solids in the suspension, the lower will be the rate of sedimentation, and vice versa.
Since our group had the lowest amount of powdered chalk which is 10 grams, ours settled
more rapidly and the clarified zone appeared faster compared to others. Larger particles also
settled faster than the smaller particles.

After 24 hours of settling, we came back and measured the final height of the sediment.
I have noticed that not all powdered chalk settled since there were very small amounts left
floating at the top of the liquid column and some adhered to the walls of the cylindrical tube.
Also, from the start of the settling process, there is the complete dispersion of the chalk and the
suspension appeared green due to the color of the chalk. As time passed by, the height of the
clarified zone increases and the color of the suspension became lighter. The height of the
sediment also increases and ultimately at the end of the experiment which is after 24 hours, the
vessel is composed only of the clarified zone and sediment layer.

Near the height of the liquid, I can observe that there is faster downward movement of
the particles than the particles approaching the center, and near the sediment zone, the particles
slows down because of the particles resistance to the displaced fluid as explain in the Part II
(Theory).

VIII. Conclusion and Recommendation:

In this experiment, we were able to study the principle of sedimentation through

observing what is happening in the sedimentation study apparatus. In a sedimentation process,
there are different zones formed as indicated by Figures 1 and 3.

Concentration of the solids in suspension greatly affects the rate at which the solids
settled out. Suspensions with higher concentration of solids have lower rate of sedimentation
compared with suspension with lower concentrations. The size of the particle in the suspension
affects the settling velocity of the solids. Larger particles has higher settling velocity since they
weigh more than the smaller particles.

In the experiment, it is recommended that before placing the cylinder in the

sedimentation apparatus, it should be agitated so that the solids will be thoroughly mixed. Also,
when we were just fitting the cylinder back, the solids started to settle out so there was a delay
on starting the time.

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 It is also recommended that flocculants and coagulants may also be added in order to
determine the effect of these chemicals to the rate of sedimentation of solids. Since the
flocculants and coagulants make the solids stick together thus forming larger particles, one can
investigate if using those chemicals are effective.

Since sedimentation tanks in the industry employ circulating rakes to gently agitate the
suspension, it is recommended in this experiment to also employ gentle stirring of the
suspension but without disturbing the settled particles. Deductions and comparison from the
experiments done without stirring and with gentle stirring is to be made in order to determine
which method is more effective.

IX. References:

Backhurst, J., Harker, J., & Richarson, J. (2002). Coulson and Richardson's Chemical
Engineering: Particle Technology and Separation Processes (5th ed., Vol. II). Great Britain:
Bath Press.

Sedimentation Studies Apparatus. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2017:

http://discoverarmfield.com/media/transfer/doc/w2mkii_web.pdf

Sedimentation of Slurries.(n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2017: http://chempedia.info/info/94769/

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X. Pictures:

Figure 5. Pounding of chalk into particles

Figure 6. Weighing 10 g of chalk

Figure 7. Transferring into Erlenmeyer flask and addition of 1.5 L water

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 Figure 8. Shaking of chalk suspension and transferring into the cylindrical glass tube

Figure 9. Different concentrations of Figure 10. Settled sediments

chalk suspension

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