A Two-Class Population Balance Equation Yielding Bimodal Flocculation: Development and Validation for Marine Sediments

Bimodal flocculation of marine and estuarine sediments describes the aggregation and breakage process in which dense microflocs and floppy macroflocs change their relative mass fraction while developing a bimodal floc size distribution. To simulate bimodal flocculation of marine and estuarine sediments, a two class population balance equation (TCPBE), which includes both size-fixed microflocs and size-varying macroflocs, was developed. The new TCPBE was tested by a modeldata fitting analysis with experimental data from 1-D column tests, in comparison with the simple Single-Class PBE (SCPBE) and the elaborate Multi-Class PBE(MCPBE). In the model-data fitting analysis, the TCPBE was found to be the simplest model that is capable of simulating the bimodal flocculation of marine and estuarine sediments. Therefore, the TCPBE can be implemented in a arge-scale multi-dimensional flocculation model with the least computational cost and used as a prototypic model for researchers to investigate complicated cohesive sediment transport in marine and estuarine environments with adopting additional biological and physicochemical processes.

Jaar van publicatie:2010