Analysis of the Compressibility of Sediments in Batch Settling Tests Using Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Fluids

Abstract

The study of compressibility in deformable porous media is of interest in many industrial processes, such as, filtration, thickening and during oil well drilling processes in the petrochemical sector. In this work the compressibility of porous media was evaluated by the comparison of solid concentration profiles in sediments using fluids with Newtonian and non-Newtonian behavior. For this, consolidation tests in distillated water, solutions of xanthan and glycerol were performed in a vertical column from the gravitational settling of suspensions. The porosity distribution in the formed sediment was obtained after the complete settling of particulate material. The local porosity measurements were performed using the ionizing radiation emitted by americium-241. The gamma-ray attenuation technique used in this study allowed the realization of nondestructive measurements for achieving local concentration of solids. The results showed that the rheological behavior of the fluid does not change significantly the compressibility of the porous matrix.