34 2 Slurry Characterization
Table 2.3 Conversion of slurry concentration describing parameters.
(𝜿) (cv ) (cg ) (𝝆s, L )
ms 𝜌L cv (1 − cg )𝜌L 𝜌sL − 𝜌L
𝜅 = = = =
mL 𝜌s (1 − 𝜀) − 𝜀 ms 𝜌L 1 − 𝜀 − cv cg (1 − 𝜀)(𝜌s − 𝜌L ) 𝜌s − 𝜌sL + 𝜀(𝜌L − 𝜌s )
𝜅(1 − 𝜀) ms 𝜌L cg 𝜌L 𝜌sL − 𝜌L
cv = = = =
1+𝜅 ms 𝜌L + mL 𝜌s cg 𝜌L + (1 − cg )𝜌s 𝜌s − 𝜌L
𝜌s (1 − 𝜀)𝜅 c v 𝜌s ms 𝜌s (𝜌sL + 𝜌L )
cg = = = =
𝜌s (1 − 𝜀)𝜅 + 𝜌L (1 + 𝜀𝜅) cv 𝜌s + (1 − cv )𝜌L ms + mL 𝜌s,L (𝜌s − 𝜌L )
𝜌s (𝜌sL + 𝜌L ) 𝜌s 𝜌L 𝜌s 𝜌L (ms + mL )
𝜌s, L = = cv 𝜌s + (1 − cv )𝜌L = =
𝜌s,L (𝜌s − 𝜌L ) cg 𝜌L + (1 − cg )𝜌s ms 𝜌L + mL 𝜌s
(a) (b)
Figure 2.24 Stable (a) and destabilized (b) slurry after some settling time.
This naturally influences the separation conditions significantly. These effects
are significant for particle diameters of less than about 100 μm and of increasing
importance, the smaller the particles become. The reason for that is the competi-
tion between van der Waals force and weight of the particles. The van der Waals
force behaves directly proportional to the particle diameter x and the weight
behaves proportional to the third power of x. In addition, it has to be consid-
ered that particles are normally carrying electrical charges on their surfaces. Uni-
formly negative or positive charged particles are repelling each other and van der
Waals forces cannot act because they are sensitively dependent on the particle
distance. To bring the particles near enough together for adhesion, the repulsive
forces must be reduced and the particles must be moved relatively to each other
with sufficient kinetic energy. The repulsive forces at the particle surface can be
reduced directly by shifting the pH or indirectly by the concentration and valence
of ions in the surrounding liquid. Some of the ions are bound immobile at the par-
ticle surface and the resulting charge can be characterized by the zeta potential 𝜍,
which is measured in mV. There are different methods and instruments available
2.5 Sampling 35
to measure the zeta potential [11, 12]. Countercharged ions, which are present
in the surrounding liquid, are accumulating in the form of an electrical double
layer more and more toward the charged particle surface and are shielding the
surface charges. In the literature, extensive information about the fundamentals
of electrostatic surface forces and the phenomenon of the electrical double layer
can be found [13–15].
The destabilization of slurries is frequently used as a slurry pretreatment mea-
sure to improve the separation conditions. The settling velocity of the solids is
increasing, an eventually existing tendency for particle segregation in the slurry is
prohibited, the filtrate pollution in the initial stage of the cake formation becomes
less because of the prebuilt bridges, the cake formation time is reduced because
of the more permeable cake structure, and the capillary forces of the larger pores
of the cake are reduced.
2.5 Sampling
Normally, the total amount of a particle system, slurry, paste, or cake is much
too large to be characterized or analyzed completely. Thus, a sample of appro-
priate quantity for the respective measurement device is needed. In many cases,
the sample has to be in the dimension of a few grams or less. In many cases, the
challenge is to extract such a small but nevertheless representative sample out of
a huge amount of material in the dimension of tons. If this does not work cor-
rectly, the result of the analysis may be absolutely precise but meaningless with
respect to the properties of the real material [16]. According to each situation, an
individual sampling strategy has to be defined (cf. [7], 85–89).
If one has to analyze a batch of a bulk material, as indicated schematically in
Figure 2.25, which is well accessible, several small samples from different loca-
tions have to be taken by chance.
In the case of a bulk material stream, the samples have to be taken according
to Figure 2.26 periodically out of the stream.
Depending on the kind of transport process, for example, a swiveling shovel in
the case of a conveyor belt or a flap in the case of a chute can be used. To get a
representative sample from a moving belt, it is necessary to take material from
the whole width of the stream because an identical material composition across
Figure 2.25 Sampling from a batch of bulk material.
36 2 Slurry Characterization
Flap
Shovel
Bulk stream Bulk
Samples stream
Samples
Figure 2.26 Periodical sampling from a continuous bulk material stream.
Figure 2.27 Correct sampling from a bulk material
stream.
Right
Wrong
Wrong
the belt width is not guaranteed. In Figure 2.27, it is shown how the sample is
taken right or wrong.
For a periodic sampling from a continuous material stream, it must be consid-
ered that the bulk composition could vary periodically. Thus, the samples must
be taken at a well-suited frequency as explained in Figure 2.28.
Material
composition Nonrepresentative
Representative
Time and position
Figure 2.28 Choice of the right sampling frequency from a continuous material stream.
