SOLIDS CONCENTRATION AND PRESSURE PROFILES DURING COMPRESSIBLE CAKE FILTRATION

Equations to provide the solids pressure profile from a knowledge of the solids concentration, during compressible cake filtration, have been derived from a consideration of the mass and force balances. These profiles have been experimentally determined for a crushed dolomite and the solids pressure, as a function of solids concentration, has been calculated. A power relation between pressure and concentration was not observed. The local solids pressure-concentration function did not vary with time, at the filtration times considered, hence the process can be described as consisting only of primary consolidation. A uniform approach to filtration and sedimentation is shown by considering the solids pressure constitutive equations in both processes, thus data obtained in one of these processes can be used to assist in the design and understanding of the other. © 1990, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.