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Settling of dilute and semidilute fiber suspensions at finite Re
Author(s) -
Salmela J.,
Martinez D. M.,
Kataja M.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
aiche journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1547-5905
pISSN - 0001-1541
DOI - 10.1002/aic.11245
Subject(s) - settling , sedimentation , volume fraction , suspension (topology) , fiber , volume (thermodynamics) , viscosity , mechanics , refractive index , tracer , materials science , chemistry , thermodynamics , optics , physics , mathematics , geology , composite material , geomorphology , sediment , homotopy , nuclear physics , pure mathematics
The motion of tracer fibers settling in a suspension made optically transparent using an index‐of refraction matching technique is studied as a function of concentration, aspect ratio, fluid viscosity, and fiber length distribution. At Re ∼ O (1), two different regimes of sedimentation are clearly identified. For small volume fractions we find that fibers settle with their long‐axis preferentially in the horizontal state. With increasing volume fraction, fibers settle preferentially with their long‐axis aligned in the direction of gravity. These findings are strikingly different than for those conducted with Re → 0 and qualitatively support the numerical simulations reported by Kuusela et al. © 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2007