Scaling behavior in constant pressure batch dewatering of fine particle suspensions

The constant pressure batch dewatering process of fine suspension systems in which dewatering occurs in two stages, viz. cake formation and cake consolidation is considered. Scaling transformations for the dewatering time and extent of dewatering are proposed. Using experimental data obtained by varying the applied pressure and feed solids concentration, we show that the distinct temporal dewatering profiles in the cake consolidation stage collapse on to a unique master curve as a result of scaling. For fixed suspension chemistry, the master curve can be generated using data from a single dewatering test. Application of the existence of the master curve for prediction of key dewatering process parameters is illustrated. In addition, it is shown that the scaling behavior can persist even when the chemistry of the suspension is varied.