Separate solids from fluids.
Filtration separates solids from liquids through a medium (cake or depth, plate-and-frame, rotary vacuum, belt press); sedimentation uses gravity (Stokes' law v=g d²(ρ_s-ρ)/(18μ)) in thickeners and clarifiers; centrifuges and cyclones enhance separation. Flocculants speed settling.
Wastewater clarifiers settle sludge before treatment.
Filtration and sedimentation remove solids from liquids, which is a basic step in water treatment, mining and food processing.
Separate solids from fluids.
Filtration and sedimentation remove solids from liquids, which is a basic step in water treatment, mining and food processing.
It lets particles fall out of suspension under gravity, so the clear liquid can leave from the top.
Pressure drop, filter cake resistance and the area of the filter, so the design balances capacity and cost.
Typical applications include clarifying river water in a settling tank before filtration, dewatering sludge with a filter press and removing sand from a process stream with a hydrocyclone.
Study "Membrane separation" first (topic 77 of 100 in Materials & Chemical). It covers the groundwork this topic builds on.
Cake resistance. Settling velocity. Hydrocyclones.
Wastewater clarifiers settle sludge before treatment.
The next topic is "Crystallisation and drying", which builds directly on this one.
It is classed as Advanced in Materials & Chemical (topic 78 of 100). It is an advanced topic. It assumes you are comfortable with the intermediate topics in Materials & Chemical.
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