Particle interaction in dilute slowly sedimenting systems

Sedimentation is a phenomenon well characterized in nature by the fallout of solids and liquids from the atmosphere, and the settling out of sediment in the oceans and inland waterways. It has been used on an industrial scale in many applications notably in the separation of solids and liquids in gravity settling tanks and in centrifugal devices for the rapid dewatering of slurries. In the laboratory it is adapted to techniques for characterizing fine particles. Observation of the phenomenon may be complicated by electrostatic or magnetic fields, thermal gradients, eddy currents, complicated rheological properties of the sedimenting fluid or irregular particle shape and density, and particle concentration......