Calculadora de Velocidad de Sedimentación de Stokes

Calcula la velocidad de sedimentación de partículas esféricas en un fluido usando la ley de Stokes. Fundamental para ingeniería de procesos.

kg/m3
kg/m3
m
Pa s

Settling Velocity

0.00898943 m/s

Settling Rate (mm/hr)32,361.9450 mm/hr

Settling Velocity vs Particle Density

Fórmula

Stokes Settling (Low Reynolds Number)

Very small particles settle through a fluid at a terminal velocity governed by Stokes' law.

Formula

v_s = 2 (rho_p - rho_f) g r^2 / (9 mu)

  • *rho_p* = particle density
  • *rho_f* = fluid density
  • *r* = particle radius
  • *mu* = dynamic viscosity
  • This applies when Re < 1 (creeping flow regime). Larger particles settle faster because velocity scales as r^2.

    Ejemplo Resuelto

    Sand grain (r = 50 um, rho = 2650 kg/m3) in water.

    1. 01v_s = 2 * (2650 - 1000) * 9.807 * (5e-5)^2 / (9 * 0.001)
    2. 02delta_rho = 1650
    3. 03r^2 = 2.5e-9
    4. 04v_s = 2 * 1650 * 9.807 * 2.5e-9 / 0.009
    5. 05v_s = 8.09e-5 / 0.009 = 0.00899 m/s

    Preguntas Frecuentes

    When does Stokes law fail?

    When the particle Reynolds number exceeds about 1, inertial effects become important and the drag coefficient no longer scales linearly with velocity.

    How does this apply to sedimentation?

    Stokes settling governs sedimentation in lakes, blood cell separation in centrifuges, and paint settling in cans.

    What about non-spherical particles?

    An equivalent-sphere correction factor is applied. Flatter or more irregular particles settle slower than spheres of the same mass.

    Aprender

    Understanding Newton's Laws of Motion

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