Container size effects on the validity for the concept of sedimentation turbulence studied using coagulated suspension of Na-montmorillonite in the semi-dilute regime

Investigating Sedimentation Behavior of Montmorillonite Flocs between Flat Plates in a 2D System Using Image Analysis

“…Additionally, they reported a tendency for the maximum settling velocity to be influenced by the initial height of the suspension, a finding also observed in our previous study on flocculated montmorillonite [15,16]. This phenomenon has been identified as the feed-forward mechanism of sedimentation turbulence [15,17]. This mechanism can be described as follows: large flocs settle rapidly, leading to collisions with smaller flocs due to differences in settling velocities.…”

“…As the thickness increased, the maximum value of the interfacial average velocity also increased, and there was a tendency for the duration of the flocculation stage, i.e., the time taken to reach this maximum value, to be shortened. Previous studies have also reported that the maximum interfacial velocity is larger in cylinders with diameters ranging from 20 mm to 40 mm [17]. It is believed that the differences in maximum interfacial velocity arise from the fact that, as the thickness decreases, the wall resistance increases, reducing the downward and upward flow that promotes settling.…”