SEDIMENTATION OF CONCENTRATED SUSPENSIONS IN NON-NEWTONIAN FLUIDS.

The behavior of polydisperse concentrated solid suspensions (ε smaller than 0.95) of quartz sand in carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) aqueous solutions (with 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5%, in weight) during the sedimentation process was investigated. The influence of solid size, solid concentration and rheological parameters of CMC disperse fluid with a non-Newtonian behavior on the settling kinetics has been theoretically accounted. The experimental hindered settling velocities determined graphically by Kynch method and those expressed by Richardson-Zaki equation are compared and analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]