A particle attains its terminal settling velocity when –

(A) gravity force + drag force = buoyancy force

(B) gravity force – drag force = buoyancy force
(C) buoyancy force + drag force = gravity force
(D) drag force = buoyancy force
For a rigid particle moving in a fluid, there are three forces acting on the body:
1. gravity force acting downward (mg)

2. buoyancy force acting upward

3. resistance of drag force acting in opposite direction to the particle motion ( i.e. in

case of settling) the drag force acts upward

Ans: The options B and C are identical and correct

i.e. gravity force = buoyancy force + drag force

( See Geankoplis p 816-817 for details)
A suspension of uniform particles in water at a concentration of 500 kg of solids per
cubic meter of slurry is settling in a tank. Density of the particles is 2500 kg/m3 and
terminal velocity of a single particle is 20 cm/s. What will be the settling velocity of
suspension? Richardson and Zaki index is 4.6.

(A) 20 cm/s (B) 14.3 cm/s

(C) 7.16 cm/s (D) 3.58 cm/s
Stokes equation is valid in the Reynolds number range –
a. 0.01 to 0.1 b. 0.1 to 2
c. 2 to 10 d. 10 to 100
ANSWER: A
In the low Reynolds number region, the drag force on a sphere is proportional to

A) V, B) V2
4
C) V D) V0.5
Where V is the terminal setting velocity of the sphere in a viscous medium.
ANSWER: A
A suspension of glass beads in ethylene glycol has a hindered settling velocity of 1.7 mm/s while
the terminal settling velocity of a single glass bead in ethylene glycol is 17 mm/s. If the
Richardson-Zaki hindered settling index is 4.5, the volume fraction of solids in the suspension is
A) 0.1 B) 0.4
C) 0.6 D) none of these

ANSWER: C
A concentrated suspension of spherical quartz particles in water settles under gravity. The
particle diameter is Dp = 10-5 m and the particle density is Pp = 2650 kg/m3. The initial voidage
in the suspension is e = 0.8.

(a) Obtain the expression for the terminal velocity (ut) of a single particle assuming
Stoke’s law to be valid.
(b) Find the initial setting velocity (us) of the particles in the suspension given
(c) Calculate the upward velocity of water in the suspension resulting from the
setting of the particles for ε = 0.8.
Two very small silica particles are settling at their respective terminal velocities
through a highly viscous oil column. If one particle is twice as large as the
other, the larger particle will take ………the time taken by the smallest particle
to fall through the same height.

The
maximum diameter of a spherical sand particle (density 2850 kg /m3) that will settle
in the Stokes law region in water (density 1000 kg /m3), (Viscosity 0.001 kg /m.
s) is -----------------.
In a mixture of quartz (sp.gr. = 2.85) and galena ( sp.gr. = 7.5), the size of the particles range
from 0.0002 cm to 0.001 cm. On separation in a hydraulic classifier using water under free
settling conditions, what is the maximum size of quartz and minimum of galena in pure
products? (Viscosity = 0.001 kg/m.s, density = 1000 kg/ m3)

A spherical particle is falling slowly. In a viscous liquid such that Reynolds number is
less than 1. Which statement is correct for this situation?
 (A) Inertial and drag forces are important
(B) Drag, gravitational and buoyancy forces are important
(C) Drag forces and gravitational force are important
(D) None of the above
ANSWER B
As the velocity V and thus the Reynolds number of a flow past a sphere increases from low
values, the drag force for Re << 1,
(A) Increase linearly with V
(B) Decrease linearly with V
(C) Decrease as V2
(D) None of these

A particle ‘A’ of diameter 10 microns settles in an oil of specific gravity 0.9 and viscosity
10 poise under Stokes law. A particle ‘B’ with diameter 20 microns settling in the same
oil will have a settling velocity,

(A) Same as that of ‘A’

(B) One-fourth as that of ‘A’
(C) Twice as that of ‘A’
(D) Four times as that of ‘A’