MOTION OF PARTICLES IN A FLUID 159

Example 3.1
What is the terminal velocity of a spherical steel particle, 0.40 mm in diameter, settling in an oil
of density 820 kg/m
3
and viscosity 10 mN s/m
2
? The density of steel is 7870 kg/m
3
.
Solution
For a sphere:
R

0
u
2
0
Re
2
0
=
2d
3
(
s
)g
3
2
(equation 3.35)
=
2 0.0004
3
820(7870 820)9.81
3(10 10
3
)
2
= 24.2
log
10
24.2 = 1.384
From Table 3.4: log
10
Re

0
= 0.222
Thus: Re

0
= 1.667
and: u
0
=
1.667 10 10
3
820 0.0004
= 0.051 m/s or 51 mm/s
Example 3.2
A nely ground mixture of galena and limestone in the proportion of 1 to 4 by mass is subjected to
elutriation by an upward-owing stream of water owing at a velocity of 5 mm/s. Assuming that
the size distribution for each material is the same, and is as shown in the following table, estimate
the percentage of galena in the material carried away and in the material left behind. The viscosity
of water is 1 mN s/m
2
and Stokes equation (3.1) may be used.
Diameter (m) 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 100
Undersize (per cent by mass) 15 28 48 54 64 72 78 88
The densities of galena and limestone are 7500 and 2700 kg/m
3
, respectively.
Solution
The rst step is to determine the size of a particle which has a settling velocity equal to that of the
upward ow of uid, that is 5 mm/s.
Taking the largest particle, d = (100 10
6
) = 0.0001 m
and: Re

= (5 10
3
0.0001 1000)/(1 10
3
) = 0.5
Thus, for the bulk of particles, the ow will be within region (a) in Figure 3.4 and the settling
velocity is given by Stokes equation:
u
0
= (d
2
g/18)(
s
) (equation 3.24)
160 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
For a particle of galena settling in water at 5 mm/s:
(5 10
3
) = ((d
2
9.81)/(18 10
3
))(7500 1000) = 3.54 10
6
d
2
and: d = 3.76 10
5
m or 37.6 m
For a particle of limestone settling at 5 nmm/s:
(5 10
3
) = ((d
2
9.81)/(18 10
3
))(2700 1000) = 9.27 10
5
d
2
and: d = 7.35 10
5
m or 73.5 m
Thus particles of galena of less than 37.6 m and particles of limestone of less than 73.5 m
will be removed in the water stream.
Interpolation of the data given shows that 43 per cent of the galena and 74 per cent of the
limestone will be removed in this way.
In 100 kg feed, there is 20 kg galena and 80 kg limestone.
Therefore galena removed = (20 0.43) = 8.6 kg, leaving 11.4 kg, and limestone removed =
(80 0.74) = 59.2 kg, leaving 20.8 kg.
Hence in the material removed:
concentration of galena = (8.6 100)/(8.6 +59.2) = 12.7 per cent by mass
and in the material remaining:
concentration of galena = (11.4 100)/(11.4 +20.8) = 35.4 per cent by mass
As an alternative, the data used for the generation of equation 3.13 for the relation
between drag coefcient and particle Reynolds number may be expressed as an explicit
relation between Re

0
(the value of Re

at the terminal falling condition of the particle)

and the Galileo number Ga. The equation takes the form
(10)
:
Re

0
= (2.33Ga
0.018
1.53Ga
0.016
)
13.3
(3.40)
The Galileo number is readily calculated from the properties of the particle and the uid,
and the corresponding value of Re

0
, from which u
0
can be found, is evaluated from
equation 3.40.
A similar difculty is encountered in calculating the size of a sphere having a given
terminal falling velocity, since Re

0
and R

0
/u
2
are both functions of the diameter d of
the particle. This calculation is similarly facilitated by the use of another combination,
(R

0
/u
2
0
)Re
1
0
, which is independent of diameter. This is given by:
R

0
u
2
0
Re
1
0
=
2g
3
2
u
3
0
(
s
) (3.41)
Log Re

is given as a function of log[(R

/u
2
)Re
1
] in Table 3.5 and the functions are
plotted in Figure 3.6. The diameter of a sphere of known terminal falling velocity may
be calculated by evaluating (R

0
/u
2
0
)Re
1
0
, and then nding the corresponding value of
Re

0
, from which the diameter may be calculated.
As an alternative to this procedure, the data used for the generation of equation 3.13
may be expressed to give Re

0
as an explicit function of {(R

/u
2
0
)Re
1
0
}, which from
394 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
Figure 7.9. Thorough washing
and in no case should the nal ltration pressure be exceeded. After washing, the cake
may be made easier to handle by removing excess liquid with compressed air.
For ease in identication, small buttons are embossed on the sides of the plates and
frames, one on the non-washing plates, two on the frames and three on the washing plates
as shown in Figure 7.10.
Example 7.1
A slurry is ltered in a plate and frame press containing 12 frames, each 0.3 m square and 25 mm
thick. During the rst 180 s the pressure difference for ltration is slowly raised to the nal value
of 400 kN/m
2
and, during this period, the rate of ltration is maintained constant. After the initial
period, ltration is carried out at constant pressure and the cakes are completely formed in a further
900 s. The cakes are then washed with a pressure difference of 275 kN/m
2
for 600 s using thorough
washing (See the plate and frame press in Section 7.4.4). What is the volume of ltrate collected
per cycle and how much wash water is used?
A sample of the slurry had previously been tested with a leaf lter of 0.05 m
2
ltering surface
using a vacuum giving a pressure difference of 71.3 kN/m
2
. The volume of ltrate collected in the
rst 300 s, was 250 cm
3
and, after a further 300 s, an additional 150 cm
3
was collected. It may be
assumed that the cake is incompressible and that the cloth resistance is the same in the leaf as in
the lter press.
LIQUID FILTRATION 395
Figure 7.10. Plates and frames
Solution
In the leaf lter, ltration is at constant pressure from the start.
Thus: V
2
+2
AL

V = 2
(P)A
2
r
t (from equation 7.18)
In the lter press, a volume V
1
of ltrate is obtained under constant rate conditions in time t
1
,
and ltration is then carried out at constant pressure.
Thus: V
2
1
+
AL

V
1
=
(P)A
2
r
t
1
(from equation 7.17)
396 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
and:
(V
2
V
2
1
) +2
AL

(V V
1
) = 2
(P)A
2
r
(t t
1
) (from equation 7.18)
For the leaf lter
When t = 300 s, V = 250cm
3
= 2.5 10
4
m
3
and when t = 600 s,
V = 400 cm
3
= 4 10
4
m
3
, A = 0.05 m
2
and P = 71.3 kN/m
2
or 7.13 10
4
N/m
2
.
Thus: (2.5 10
4
)
2
+2(0.05L/)2.5 10
4
= 2(7.13 10
4
0.05
2
/r)300
and: (4 10
4
)
2
+2(0.05L/)4 10
4
= 2(7.13 10
4
0.05
2
/r)600
That is: 6.25 10
8
+2.5 10
5
L

=
1.07 10
5
r
and: 16 10
8
+4 10
5
L

=
2.14 10
5
r
Hence: L/ = 3.5 10
3
and r = 7.13 10
11
For the lter press
A = (12 2 0.3
2
) = 2.16 m
2
, P = 400 kN/m
2
= 4 10
5
N/m
2
, t = 180 s. The volume
of ltrate V
1
collected during the constant rate period on the lter press is given by:
V
2
1
+(2.16 3.5 10
3
V
1
) = [(4 10
5
2.16
2
)/(7.13 10
11
)]180
V
2
1
+(7.56 10
3
V
1
) (4.711 10
4
) = 0
or: V
1
= (3.78 10
3
) +

(1.429 10
5
+4.711 10
4
) = 1.825 10
2
m
3
For the constant pressure period:
(t t
1
) = 900 s
The total volume of ltrate collected is therefore given by:
(V
2
3.33 10
4
) +(1.512 10
2
)(V 1.825 10
2
) = 5.235 10
6
900
or: V
2
+(1.512 10
2
V) (4.712 10
3
) = 0
Thus: V = 0.756 10
2
+

(0.572 10
4
+4.712 10
3
)
= 6.15 10
2
or 0.062 m
3
The nal rate of ltration is given by:
PA
2
r(V +AL/)
=
4 10
5
2.16
2
7.13 10
11
(6.15 10
2
+2.16 3.5 10
3
)
= 3.79 10
5
m
3
/s
(from equation 7.16)
If the viscosity of the ltrate is the same as that of the wash-water, then:
Rate of washing at 400 kN/m
2
=
1
4
3.79 10
5
= 9.5 10
6
m
3
/s
Rate of washing at 275 kN/m
2
= 9.5 10
6
(275/400) = 6.5 10
6
m
3
/s
Thus the amount of wash-water passing in 600 s = (600 6.5 10
6
)
= 3.9 10
3
m
3
or 0.004 m
3