ABSTRACT

SEDIMENTATION IS A SEPARATION PROCESS WHEREIN A SUPERNATANT

CLEAR FLUID AND DENSER SLURRY CONTAINING A HIGHER
CONCENTRATION OF SOLIDS ARE SEPARATED. THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS
EXPERIMENT IS TO MEASURE THE SETTLING RATE AS A FUNCTION OF
CONCENTRATION AND VOLUME IN A STATIC WATER SYSTEM, TO
CONSTRUCT BATCH SETTLING CURVES FROM THE EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS,
AND BE ABLE TO DESIGN INDUSTRIAL SETTLING TANKS AND THICKENERS
USING THE CONSTRUCTED CURVES AND TO UNDERSTAND THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF LABORATORY BATCH SEDIMENTATION. THE SUBSTANCE
AND APPARATUS USED IN THIS EXPERIMENT IS A PULVERIZED CHALK AND
DISTILLED WATER AND THE SEDIMENTATION APPARATUS, RESPECTIVELY.
THE EXPERIMENTAL DATA OBTAINED VARIES DESPITE USING A CONSTANT
VOLUME OF WATER AND SLURRY. THE FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE
SEDIMENTATION PROCESS ARE THE PARTICLE DIAMETER AND ITS
POROSITY. THE INCREASE IN PARTICLE SIZE DUE TO FLOCCULATION
CAUSES AN INCREASE IN SEDIMENTATION RATE WHICH MEANS IT SETTLES
FASTER. ALSO, THE CONCENTRATION OF PARTICLES AFFECTS THE
SEDIMENTATION PROCESS, WHERE IT IS INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL TO THE
RATE OF SETTLING SUCH THAT THE LOWER CONCENTRATION OF SOLIDS
LEADS TO UNIFORM SETTLING, AND THE PARTICLES MOVE AT A CONSTANT
RATE.
KEYWORDS: Sedimentation, Settling Rate, Static Water System, Thickening, Clarification