ONE-DIMENSIONAL MODEL OF SEDIMENTATION USING DARCYS LAW

Darcy's law together with the mass conservation equation is used to predict concentration profiles in a one-dimensional sedimenting column. Analytic solutions are obtained for two special cases of the diffusivity and hydraulic conductivity. For derived physical parameters the theoretical predictions are compared against experimental results from three sedimenting columns, each of different height. The predictions compare favorably with observations, indicating that this macroscopic approach of Darcy's law should be further developed, both numerically and into more than one spatial dimension. © 1979, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.