INFLUENCE OF GRAVITY ON PERIKINETIC COAGULATION - PART II - THEORETICAL-ANALYSIS

Three phenomena involved in the perikinetic coagulation process were s tudied with regard to their ability to account for the influence of gr avity on the coagulation rate: (1) surface charge effects on the press ure in the gap between two approaching particles, through the streamin g potential generated by the squeezing flow; (2) free convection induc ed by temperature changes in the surroundings; (3) surface roughness a nd hydration force effects on the interaction force between two partic les. In a separate paper flow interactions between two identical spher es are shown to be insufficient to explain the influence of gravity on coagulation rate. Of these phenomena studied, a combination of surfac e roughness and free convection can explain the influence of gravity o n coagulation. (C) 1998 Academic Press.