Effect of Mixing on Suspended Particle-Size Distribution
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 5
Abstract
Experiments were performed to evaluate changes in suspended particle-size distribution as a function of variations in mixing conditions. Suspensions were taken from Lake Erie near Buffalo, N.Y., and mixed in a standard jar apparatus using six different mixing intensities. These suspensions were monitored for changes in particle size and shape using a noninvasive image analysis technique. A relationship was derived between suspended particle size and mixing intensity, based on estimates of energy dissipation rates. The regression was also compared with mixing of suspensions taken from two other systems in the Buffalo, N.Y. area, a small lake on the University at Buffalo campus, and the Buffalo River (Buffalo, N.Y.). Samples from all three sites behaved similarly in terms of particle size as a function of mixing conditions. Estimates for dissipation rates in natural systems were then used to relate the laboratory data to field conditions. Dissipation rates produced at slow mixing speeds in the jar were similar to those calculated for more energetic riverine and estuarine environments. Results of this study should be useful for understanding suspended particle-size distributions under a variety of mixing conditions, and is of direct interest in a wide range of sediment and contaminant transport problems.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to thank the Great Lakes Program, University at Buffalo for the financial support on this work. Also, support from CH2M HILL Inc. during manuscript preparation is greatly appreciated.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 5 • May 2009
Pages: 306 - 316
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Oct 1, 2007
Accepted: Dec 9, 2008
Published online: May 1, 2009
Published in print: May 2009
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