Sedimentation, Péclet number, and hydrodynamic screening

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2007 Nov;76(5 Pt 2):056302. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.76.056302. Epub 2007 Nov 8.

Abstract

The sedimentation of hard spheres in a Newtonian solvent is studied as a function of Péclet number in the low-concentration limit. Two functional forms for the sedimentation velocity as a function of particle concentration are realized in the limit of high and low Péclet numbers. We argue that a more ordered phase occurs for large Péclet numbers. Measurements of settling in sheared suspensions support these contentions. Recent explanations of sedimentation in suspensions are examined in light of these results.