A mathematical treatment is developed on the basis that two concentric spheres can serve as the model for a random assemblage of spheres moving relative to a fluid. The inner sphere comprises one of the particles in the assemblage and the outer sphere consists of a fluid envelope with a "free surface." The appropriate boundary conditions resulting from these assumptions enable a closed solution to be obtained satisfying the Stokes-Navier equations omitting inertia terms. This solution enables rate of sedimentation or alternatively pressure drop to be predicted as a function of fractional void volume, Comparison of the theory is made with other relationships and data reported in the literature. Of special interest I s its close agreement with the well known Carman-Kozeny equation which has been widely used to correlate data on packed beds as well as sedimenting and fluidized systems of particles. This is remarkable in view of the fact that the force on each particle in a packed bed can be up to several hundred times that exerted on a single particle in an undisturbed medium. nm v = n P -m curl (nn) + grad n--m Vol. 4, No. 2
The free‐surface model, successfully employed to predict sedimentation, resistance to flow, and viscosity in assemblages of spherical particles, has been extended to the case of flow relative to cylinders. It is shown to be in good agreement with existing data on beds of fibers of various types and flow through bundles of heat‐exchanger tubes for cases where it can reasonably be expected to apply. Close agreement in the dilute range with the only theoretical treatment for flow parallel to a square array of cylinders provides interesting validation of the model.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.