Non-Intrusive Devices Applied to Sedimentation and Consolidation

This paper presents two non-intrusive techniques to measure the time evolution of the vertical profile of concentration during batch settling test. The first one is a Magnetic Resonant Imaging (MRI) vertical prototype used on Gironde estuary. The second is an X-ray ‘home-made’ prototype used on Seine estuary. Both are used to observe the sedimentation and the consolidation processes of natural cohesive sediments. They provide the movement of the supernatant/suspension interface and the isoconcentration lines of the process. A space-time based method is proposed to close the governing equation.