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‡ Particles do not settle as discrete particles ± instead
during sedimentation they coalesce and flocculate
‡ Extent of coalescence or flocculation depend on
± Overflow rate
± Depth of settling basin
± Velocity gradients in the system
± Concentration of particles
± Range of particle sizes
‡ Settling characteristics of a suspension of flocculent
particles can be obtained by a settling column test
‡ Settling column
± Height: equal to the depth of the proposed settling tank
± Diameter can be anything ± influences of the wall should be
taken care off ± sample required should be small enough
± Provided with sampling ports
 ã
 
  
‡ Settling column test
± To begin with ensure uniform distribution of particle size from
top to bottom of the column
± Eliminate convection currents through maintaining uniform
temperature throughout the depth
± Duration of test should be equal to the settling time in the
proposed tank
± Draw samples from the ports at various time intervals,
analyze for TSS and compute % removal
± Plot % removal against time and depth and construct curves
of equal % removal
± Overflow rates for various settling are determined by noting
where the curve intersect the x-axis
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‡ Shallow settling devices of stacked offset trays or bundles
of small tubes
± used to enhance settling characteristics of settling basins
‡ Based on the theory that settling depends on settling area
rather than detention time
‡ Predominantly used in water treatment applications
± Need prior fine screening in case of wastewaters
± Need periodic flushing with high pressure water to remove
accumulated solids
± Attention is needed to provide equal flow distribution and to
collect settled solids while preventing resuspension
‡ To be self cleaning, plate or tube settlers are set at an
angle 45-60 above horizontal
‡ Spacing between plates is 50 mm (for avoiding clogging)
and inclined length is 1 to 2 m
‡ Depending on the direction of flow relative to the direction
of particles settling there are 3 flow patterns
± Counter-current flow, Co-current flow and Cross-flow
 =    

Tube settlers are mostly used in the 



 mode
Time required for particle to settle


  r
w is perpendicular distance between surfaces
r is angle of inclination from horizontal
v is settling velocity
Length of the inclined surface required
 l    

 
  
Settling velocity of particles that will be removed
r ß

 r X ß   r
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vr is settling velocity
Q is flow rate
N is number of channels
b is width of the surface area of the channel
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‡ Flow is horizontal and does not interact with the vertical
settling velocity

 
  


  
 |

 
 
‡ Purpose is removal of readily settleable solids and floating
material from wastewater
‡ Usually give 50-70% suspended solids removal efficiency
and 25-40% BOD removal (for municipal sewage)
‡ Rectangular or circular sedimentation tanks are used
± Two or more cylindrical or rectangular sedimentation tanks
may be used for allowing maintenance and repair
± Multiple rectangular tanks require less land area than
multiple circular tanks and common walls reduce
construction cost
‡ Sedimentation tanks should include
± Inlet section
± Outlet section
± Facilities and provisions for the settled sludge scrapping,
collection and removal
± Facilities and provisions for the floating material entrapment,
skimming, collection and removal
‡ Sedimentation tank can be considered to include
± Settling zone
± Sludge zone
 |

 
 
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‡ Full width inlet channels with inlet weirs ± can intriduce vertical
velocity component spreading into the slduge hoppers usually
provided at the ilet end
‡ Inlets with submerged ports or orifices (velocities in through the
ports and orifices should be in the range of 3-9 m/min.
‡ Inlet channels with wide gates and slotted baffles
‡ Inlet baffles can be used to reduce high initial velocities and
distribute flow width wise ± usually extend from 150 mm below
and 300 mm above the water surface
 
‡ Clarified effluent is collected into a collection trough through an
overflow weir
‡ Floating material or settled suspended solids should not be
washed out with the clarified effluent
‡ Floating material retaining or entrapping baffle is provided
‡ Weir length is designed to avoid washout out of sludge
 |

 
 
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‡ Facilities and provisions for the settled sludge scrapping,
collection and removal
‡ Settled sludge is collected at the inlet end
‡ Chain and flight solids collectors or traveling bridge type
collectors are used
‡ Chain and flight solids collectors
± Have a pair of endless conveyor chains
± Scraper flights of wood or fiberglass, running full width of
the tank and attached to the chains at 3 m interval
± The settled solids are scrapped
‡ to solids hoppers In case of small tanks ± multiple
hoppers are used in larger tanks
‡ to a transverse trough in case of large tanks - troughs in
turn have cross collectors
 |

 
 
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‡ Traveling bridge type collectors
± Travel up and down the tank on rubber wheels or on rails
supported on the sidewalls
± Scrapper blades are suspended from the bridge (returning
scraper blades lifted free of the solids blanket)
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‡ Floating scum is collected at the effluent end
‡ Floating scum is skimmed and carried to the effluent end
and entrapped for avoiding overflow into the clarified
effluent trough
± Flights returning at the liquid surface can be used
± Water showers can be used to push forward the floating
scum
± Baffle is provided in front of the overflow weir for the scum
entrapment until removed
 |

 
 
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‡ In small tanks scum draw-down facility consisting of a
horizontal, slotted pipe that can be rotated by a lever or
screw can be used
± Limitation - creates large volume of scum liquor
‡ Transverse rotating helical wiper attached to a shaft can
also be used for scum removal
± Scum is removed from the water surface and moved over an
inclined apron for discharge to a cross-collecting scum
trough
Other provisions and facilities
‡ Tanks may sloping bottom towards the influent end
‡ Influent end has sludge hoppers or sludge trench
‡ Scum pit is provided for storing the scum liquid removed
‡ Sludge pump, piping and tank may be there to remove the
collected sludge from the sludge hopper or trench
 |

 
 
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Flow pattern is radial either with central feed or with
peripheral feed of wastewater
Central feed design
‡ more commonly used
‡ A center well of 15-20% of the tank diameter and 1.0 2.5 m
depth is used (depth should be about 1 m below the inlet)
‡ Center well has a tangential energy dissipating inlet
‡ wastewater is discharged into the well within the upper 0.5-0.7
m at 0.3 to 0.45 m/sec flow velocity
‡ downward flow velocity in the well should be <0.75 m/sec.
Peripheral feed design
‡ A suspended circular baffle forms an annual space into which
wastewater is tangentially discharged
‡ Floating material is confined to the surface of the annular space
 |

 
 
Solids removal mechanisms
‡ 3.6-9.0 m diameter tanks have solids removal equipment
supported on beams spanning the tank
‡ Larger diameter tanks have a central pier supporting the
mechanism and is reached by a walkway or bridge
‡ Bottom of the tank is sloped at 1 in 12 to form an inverted cone
‡ Solids are scrapped to the hopper of the center
Clarified liquid is skimmed off over weirs on both sides of the
centrally located weir trough
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Combination flocculator-clarifier
‡ inorganic chemicals or polymers can be added to improve
flocculation
‡ have inner cylindrical flocculation compartment usually equipped
with a paddle-type or low speed mixer
Stacked clarifiers (multilevel clarifiers) - Land area
requirement is minimized
Removal of BOD and TSS in primary sedimentation tanks is
function of detention time and constituent concentration




  

R is removal efficiency
t is detention time
a and b are empirical constants (0.018 and 0.020 for BOD, and
0.0075 and 0.014 for TSS are typical values)
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‡ Overflow rate and hydraulic retention time obtained from

the settling test and settling profile diagram are used to
find surface area and depth of the clarifier
‡ Safety factors of 1.25 is usually used to take into account
± Inlet and outlet disturbances
± Disturbances created by the rotating mechanism to scrap the
settled sludge and to collect the floating scum
± Wind blow effects
± Temperature variations
± Flow short-circuiting
‡ Design also takes into account the following:
± Horizontal flow velocity (below the scour velocity)
± Weir overflow rate (below a limit to avoid density currents)
± Weir overflow balancing to avoid short-circuiting problems
± Flooding of collection trough
 |

 
 
Detention time 1.5 to 2.5 hours (2.0 hr.)-
Overflow rate
Average flow 30-50 m3/m2.day (40) ± 24-32 (26)
Peak flow 80-120 m3/m2.day (100) ± 48-70 (60)
Weir loading 125-500 m3/m.day (250)
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Depth 3-4.9 (4.3)
Length 15-90 (24-40)
Width 3-24 (4.9-9.8)
Flight speed 0.6-1.2 m/min (0.9)
›

 
Diameter 3-60 (12-45)
Bottom slope 1 in 16 to 1 in 6 (1 in 12)
Flight speed 0.02-0.05 rpm (0.03)
 |

 
 



  
   
‡ Tracer studies can be used for determining short-circuiting
problems
‡ Method of influent flow distribution can also affect short
circuiting


difference of 1C between incoming wastewater
and wastewater of the tank can cause density current

 across the top of an open sedimentation tank can
cause circulation cell to form ± this reduces effective volumetric
capacity of the tank

 
 





‡ There can be regulations prescribing limits to surface loading
rates
‡ Overflow rates must be set low enough to ensure satisfactory
performance at peak rates of flow
 |

 
 
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‡ Solids reaching the settling tank are susceptible to flocculation
‡ Flocculation is aided by eddying motion of fluid within the tank
‡ Level of flocculation depends on the time elapsed (detention
time)
‡ In cold climates because of increase in water viscosity detention
time required also increases (1.38 time more HRT for 10C water
that when temperature is 20C)


 

‡ Have little effect on efficiency of primary settlign tanks
|

  

   
‡ Factors influencing are
± Characteristics of untreated water (strength and freshness)
± Period of sedimentation
± Conditions of the deposited solids
± Period between solids removal operations
 |

 
 




‡ For avoiding resuspension of settled particles horizontal
velocities should be kept sufficiently low

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VH is horizontal velocity (m/s)
k is constant depends on the material being scoured (typical values
are 0.04 for unigranular particles and 0.06 for sticky interlocked
matter)
s is specific gravity of the particles
d is diameter of the particles
f is Darcy-Weisbach friction factor (depends on the characterisitcs of
the surface of flow and on the Reynolds number ± typical values
are 0.02 to 0.03