1
Introduction
Many physical and chemical separation processes are used in waste water treatment industry.
Clarification is a salience physical separation process for remove solid particles or suspended
solids from liquid. Concentrated solid particles which discharged from the bottom of the tank
are known as sludge and the particles which float to the surface of liquid are called scum.
Generally clarifiers can be divided in to some categories considering operation or shape of it.
When considering the operation, Clarifier can divided in to two types.
Primary Clarifier
Secondary Clarifier
As well as when consider the shape of clarifier, there are mainly three types.
Rectangular Clarifier
Circular Clarifier
Inclined plate/ Lamella
In this design project consider the secondary clarifier for latex waste water treatment process.
1.1
Theory
The design of the clarifier tank is depend on the concentration, size and behavior of the solid
suspension. Normally there are four types of sedimentation.
Type i sedimentation
This type of sedimentation is called as discrete sedimentation. That means low concentrations
of particles that settle as individual entities.
Type ii sedimentation
This is known as flocculent settling which sedimentation of high concentrations of solids that
agglomerate as they settle.
Type iii sedimentation
Type iii sedimentation is called as hindered settling or zone settling. That means solids
particles are suspended with solid concentration sufficiently high to cause the particles to
settle as a mass.
Type iv Sedimentation
This is known as compression settling, means sedimentation of suspensions with solid
concentration so high that the particles are in contact one another and further sedimentation
can occur only by compression of the mass.
Clarifier tank
An ideal clarifier is divided into four zones. There are inlet zone, settling zone, sludge zone,
outlet zone. In inlet zone flow is uniformly distributed across the tank cross section. In
settling zone water is quiescent and gradually flows horizontally toward the basin inlet as
well as sedimentation occurs. The settled sludge accumulates in sludge zone. The treated
water is collected evenly across section of the basin in outlet zone.
1.2
Factors that affect clarifier performance
Hydraulic & Load factors
Wastewater flow(ADWF, PDWF, PWWF)
[ADWF-average dry weather flow; PDWF-peak dry weather flow;
PWWF-peak wet weather flow]
Surface overflow rate
Solid loading rate
Hydraulic retention time
Underflow recycle ratio
External physical features
Tank configuration
Surface area
Depth
Flow distribution
Turbulence in conveyance structures
Internal physical features
Presence of flocculation zone
Sludge collection mechanism
Inlet arrangement
Weir type, length, position
Baffling
Hydraulic flow patterns & turbulence
Density & convection currents
Site condition
Wind & wave action
Water temperature variation
Sludge characteristics
MLSS concentration
Sludge age
Flocculation, settling & thickening characteristics
Type of biological process [1]
1.3
1.3.1
Types of Clarifiers
Primary Clarifier
Primary treatment has applied a clarification process to separate the readily precipitated and
floatable solids from waste water. That is used as preliminary step in the further processing of
waste water. The suspended solid and BOD are decreased between 50% to 70% and 25 to
40% respectively by Well-designed and operated primary clarifier. [2]
1.3.2
Secondary Clarifier
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
The main difference between primary and secondary clarifiers is density of the sludge
handled. Secondary sludge are generally less dense than primary sludge as well as effluent of
secondary clarifier is usually clearer than primary effluent.
1.3.3
Rectangular Clarifier
Rectangular clarifier is a common type of clarifier in waste water treatment process. Either
chain & flight solids collectors or traveling bridge type collectors are used in this clarifier
.The construction of these types of clarifiers are cheap due to construct multiple units with
common wall.
Length, width, depth of the tank, diffusers or ports, internal baffles, flocculation zones,
skimmers, scrapers or suction mechanism, sludge flights, type & location of weirs or
submerged outlets, location of sludge hoppers, tank covers and materials of construction are
included in design criteria of rectangular clarifiers.
Figure . Rectangular clarifier design features
1.3.4
Circular Clarifier
Circular clarifiers are most suitable than other types when considering mechanism of sludge
collection. There are Square, hexagonal, octagonal shape of clarifier tanks are also
established which closely similar to the circular shape. But these types are not more popular
in practically. There are nearly all the advantages of circular clarifiers are given by these
alternative shapes. The disadvantage of circular clarifiers is to allocate more floor space than
rectangular clarifier tanks in equivalent capacity due to common wall construction.
Although the range of diameters of the tank is 3m to greater than 100m, in practically
diameter of tank are kept in less than 50m to avoid the adverse effects of wind on the surface.
1.3.5
Figure . Circular clarifier design features
Design Criteria
Advantages
Rectangular Clarifiers
Less land & construction cost in a
Circular Clarifiers
Short detention time for
multiple unit design
Longer flow path & less chance
settled sludge
Better effect of dynamic
feed/ peripheral overflow circular
filtration
Simple & more reliable
clarifiers
More even distribution of sludge
sludge-collecting system
Low maintenance
loads on collectors
Can be shallower
Low head loss for flow
distribution
Can be easily covered for odor
for short-circuiting than center-
requirements
control
More effective foam/ scum
trapping & positive removal
Not proprietary
Longer detention time for settled
sludge
Possibly less effective for high
solid loading
Increased maintenance of
short-circuiting
Lower limits for effluent
collectors
weir loading
Generally proprietary
More susceptible to wind
effects
High head loss for flow
Disadvantages
Center feed/ peripheral units
have higher potential for
distribution
1.4
Purpose of circular clarifier and parts
Influent control
Stops or throttles the flow to clarifier
gate
Influent channel or
Transports wastewater to the clarifier
pipe
Influent well
Receives the wastewater from influent channel or pipe and
decreases flow velocity & regularly distributes across the upper
portion of the clarifier
Effluent weir
Ensures similar flow over all weirs.
Effluent trough
Receives treated wastewater from the clarifier
Scum skimmer arm
Collects floating particles or skims from the surface of
Scum trough
wastewater. Moves it to the scum trough
Receives floating particles which scraped by scum skimmer arm.
Scum pipe
Flows collected scum from skimmer box to a scum tank
Drive unit
Put to the collector to rotate
Vertical drive cage
Transmits power from drive unit to the sludge collector
mechanism
Sludge collector
Rotates around the bottom of the clarifier and drags settled solids
mechanism
across clarifier bottom to a sludge collection pit.
Blades and scraper
Scrape sludge form bottom of clarifier to sump
squeegees
Sump
Collects the sludge before withdrawal
Sludge withdrawal
Removes the sludge from the clarifier. [3]
pipe
1.5
1.5.1
Calculation
Material balance
Removal=
[Influent concentrationEffluent concentration] 100
Influent concentration
Literature value for 4hr to 8hr Retention time for rectangular clarifier
Settleable solids 95% to 99%
Total solids 10% to 15%
BOD 20% to 50%
COD 60% to 80% [49]
Assumption
Retention time= 4hr
Weight of Water is 15times of solid weight in sludge.
Removal efficiencies
Suspended solids = 80%
Total solids = 12%
BOD = 40%
COD =70%
Suspended solid in Effluent= 89.13 20 =17.83 kg /day
Total solid in Effluent= 895.53 88 =824.2 kg /day
BOD in Effluent= 32.25 60 =19.35 kg /day
COD in Effluent= 597.45 30 =172.7 kg /day
Solid in Effluent = 89.1317.83=71.3 kg /day
Water in Effluent= 71.3 15=1069.5 kg /day
1.5.2
Energy Balance
1.5.3
Design calculation
Average flow rate=10000 l/hr=10 m3 /hr
Peak flow rate=25000 l/hr=25 m3 / hr
Retention time=3 hr
Average flow rate=10 24 m3 /d=240 m3 /d
Circular Clarifier
Flow rate=17 m3 /m2 . d
Area=
240 m3 /d
=14.12 m2
3
2
17 m /m . d
600 m3 / d
3
2
OFR For peak flow condition=
=42.5 m /m . d
2
14.12 m
Diameter (D)=
14.12 4
m=3.57 m 3.6 m
Assume detention time = 3hrs
Height of clarifier =
3 hr 24 m3 /m2 . d
=3 m
24 hr
[4]
When use circular clarifier with diameter of 3.6m, higher potential for short-circuiting and
settling effect is very due to small size.
Rectangular Clarifier
Detention time =4hr
3
Flow rate=18 m /m . d
Area=
240 m3 /d
2
=13.33 m
3
2
18 m /m . d
3
OFR For peak flow condition=
Select width to length 1:3
Area=W 3 W =13.33 m 2
W = 1.83m , L= 7.36 m
600 m / d
=45.01 m3 /m2 .d
2
13.33 m
Depth=Detention time overflow rate=
4 hr 18 m /m
=3 m
24 hr
Take Weir loading rate=25 m /m. d
Weir length=
240 m 3 /day
=9.6 m
25 m 3 /m. day
Available Weir length=D=
22
6.5=20.4 m>9.6 m
7
Flow
240 m3 /d
Available Weir loading rate=
=
=11.76 m3 /m. d< 25 m3 /m . d
Weir Length
20.4 m
REFERENCES
[1] C. D. F. o. t. W. E. Federation, "FUNCTIONS OF A FINAL CLARIFIER," in
CLARIFIER DESIGN, McGraw-Hil, 2005, p. 146.
[2] George Tchbanoglous, Franklin L. Burton, H. David Stensel, "Primary Sedimentation," in
Waste water Engineering Treatment and Reuse, Mc Graw Hill, pp. 396-397.
[3] C. s. university, in Operation of waste water treatment plants.
