Comprehensive Dewatering Behaviour Analysis for Fine and Flocculated Materials

摘要

The characterisation of material properties that describe dewatering behaviour is an importantrnfirst step in the prediction and optimisation of the rate and extent of dewatering in industrialrnseparation processes. There are many laboratory based tests that give an indication of how arnmaterial might dewater in a particular device such as a pressure filter, centrifuge orrnsedimentation device. Often these tests provide limited information about the potential rate orrnextent of dewatering in a specific device at a specified process condition. Some outputsrnrepresent empirical parameters specific only to the type of equipment that produced them, butrnothers provide material properties that are generic to all solid-liquid separation processes.rnA new piece of software, “P527 B-SAMS”, has been developed at The University ofrnMelbourne. It allows determination of full compressive yields stress and hindered settlingrnfunction curves over a wide range of solids concentrations using data from a single batchrnsettling test. The software has been made possible through a combination of a newrnmathematical transform for analysing height versus time settling data and an understanding ofrndewaterability parameters gained through many years of data collection and analysis on bothrnmodel and real systems. The software is useful for detailed research work as well as forrnprocess design or field-based reagent testwork across materials ranging from mineral systemsrnto water and wastewater treatment sludges.