Abstract
Mathematical models for thickeners can be used for equipment design, to simulate the process operation, and to develop control strategies for a continuous operation. In this work, numerical simulation to obtain the final height of the sediment when operating at steady state conditions were performed using two mathematical models: the model introduced by Tiller and Chen (1988) and the one proposed by Arouca (2007). The simulated results were compared to experimental data obtained when the thickener was operated with and without the use of flocculent agent. The equipment used to obtain experimental data was a conventional thickener, built in acrylic. Aluminum sulfate was used in the experiments for the production of flocculated suspensions. The results showed that the Tiller and Chen (1988) model produced a deviation of 39.0% for kaolin suspensions and 14.3% when aluminum sulfate was added to the system. The Arouca (2007) model resulted in values much closer to those obtained experimentally, with deviations of less than 3% for kaolin suspensions regardless of the use of flocculent agent.
Published Version
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