Sedimentation

Sedimentation theory
Different types of settling mechanisms
Ideal sedimentation basin and departure
from ideality
Sediment tank innovations
Factors affecting sedimentation
Sedimentation tank design criteria, case
study
Floatation process

CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Sedimentation theory
For a discrete spherical particle, settling velocity/terminal
velocity is obtained when
Gravitational force (F) = Frictional Drag force (FD)

( S W ) gV C D AC W vS2 / 2
vS

vS

FD

2 gV S W
C D W AC
vS

4 g S W d
3C D W

V = volume of particle = d /6
AC = X-sectional area of particle
= d2/4
vS = settling velocity
CD = drag coefficient
3

CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Water density,

Density,

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Determination of Drag coefficient, CD

C D 24 / R

R 1

C D 24 / R 3 / R 0.34
C D 0 .4

10 4 R 105

CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Typical Reynolds number for

particles in water treatment
1 R 10 4

g S W d 2
vS
18
Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Settling of Particles in a
Clarifier
Type I: Horizontal, discrete, or free settling. Examples are
plain settling in water treatment plants and grit settling
in wastewater treatment plants.
Type II: Settling of flocculent particles in a dilute
suspension:
Examples are settling of flocs after coagulation and
flocculation in water and wastewater treatment plants
and grit primary settling in wastewater treatment plants.
Type III: Zone settling or hindered settling. This occurs in the
secondary clarifiers at wastewater treatment plants.
Type IV: Compression settling where the particles are too
close that settling can occur by compaction. This occurs in
secondary clarifiers in wastewater treatment plants when the
solids at the bottom are thickened.
CE 6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Settling of Particles in a
Clarifier

CE 6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Different settling types

Type I: discrete settling
Type II: Flocculent settling
Type III: Zone settling (hindered and compression
settling)

Flocculent settling

Time

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Hindered settling

Depth

Depth

Depth

Discrete settling

Time

Compression settling

Time

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Ideal Sedimentation Basin: assumptions

Inlet Zone

Outlet Zone

vO

hO

h
L

Particles and velocity vectors are uniformly

distributed across the tank cross-section
Liquid moves as an ideal slug down the length of
the tank
Any particle hitting the bottom are removed
CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Ideal Sedimentation Basin

Inlet Zone

Outlet Zone

vO
h

vS

hO

v
v
L

Overflow rate:
vO hO / tO hO Q / V Q / A
Overflow rate identifies the smallest settling velocity
attributable to the class of particles which experience
complete removal
For vS < vO , the removal percentage will be 100(vS /vO)
because

h / hO vS / vO

CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Removal efficiency from settling velocity

characteristics
Fraction of particles
having < stated
velocity

xO

dx

vx

vO

Settling
velocity

Total particle fraction that will be removed:

1
(1 xO )
vO

xO

v x dx

CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Applicable only for ideal settling

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Problem: discrete settling

The settling characteristics of a suspension at 2 ft
depth are as follows:
Time (min)
Suspended Solids (mg/l)
0
300
5
210
10
156
20
90
40
50
60
40
Compute the removal efficiency of the basin when Q
= 1.5 cfs and A = 360 ft2. Assume ideal settling.

CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Ideal settling and departure from ideality

Ideal
tank

Remova
l

Very large n: best performance

n=1: worst case scenario

Reasons for
departure:
surface currents,
convection currents,
eddy currents
Hazen estimated the settling performance if a settling basin
is subdivided into n number of hypothetical basins connected
in series.
CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Removal efficiency in non-ideal cases

vo
y
1 1

y0
n
(
Q
/
A
)

How to improve
performance:
Reducing the
surface overflow
rate
Covers for the
basins
Baffle walls at the
inlet and outlet
Larger height of
tank (avoid scour)

Tracer tests are used to

estimate n
t mean
n
t mean t mod e
CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Flocculent suspensions

The density variation of small

flocs may be expressed by:

S kd

Flocculent settling

Depth

Particles will agglomerate while

settling, resulting in an
increase in particle size.

Time

0.7

S = density of the floc

= density of water
d = the diameter of the particle
k = a coefficient dependent upon
the
characteristics of the water
and the
CE6301:chemicals
Theory of Water
Treatment
involved

vS

g S d 2
18

Will cause an increase

in settling velocity
Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Flocculent settling (Type II

settling)
The design of these settling tanks
usually requires a batch laboratory test
using a column with a depth similar to
that in the treatment plant (> 3m) and
a diameter of 130-205 mm.
samples are taken at different depths
for different times.
The samples are tested for suspended
solids and the results are reported as
percentage of the initial suspended
solids.
Lines of equal percentage of
suspended solids are then drawn as
shown in the figure below.

CE 6301: Theory of Water Treatment

13-20.5 cm

>3m

Sampling
ports

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Problem: Flocculent settling

Suspended Solids at different time and depths are shown in
the table. The initial SS concentration is 300 mg/L.
Time
(min)

10

20

30

40

50

60

Depth
(ft)
1

204

150

126

96

75

60

213

180

150

129

99

81

216

189

165

144

120

99

219

195

171

156

135

105

225

210

177

165

144

120

Calculate the efficiency of flocculent settling basin of depth

5 ft when the detention time is (a) 40 min and (b) 30 min.

CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Estimating removal efficiency for

flocculent
settling
Settling analyses
are peformed in columns equal in depth to
the proposed clarifier

Total particle fraction that will be removed:

Xr

Z1 R1 R2 Z 2 R2 R3 Z 3 R3 R4 Z 4 R4 R5

Z6
2
Z6
2
Z6
2
Z6
2

CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Zone settling
Hindered settling
Depth

Displacement of water by the

settling of one particle affects the
relative velocities of its
neighbours.

Compression settling

The hindered settling4.65velocity:

vh v 1 C v

Time

v = the free settling velocity

Cv = the volume of the particles divided
by the total volume of the suspension

Typically does not happen in

sedimentation tanks, but occurs in
sludge thickeners and at the bottom
of secondary clarifiers in biological
treatment systems
CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Design Principles for High-rate

settlers
The design principles for rectangular sedimentation tank
also applies
Flow Pattern: In Practice the countercurrent pattern is the
one most commonly employed because cocurrent designs
often have trouble with resuspended sludge and crosscurrent
designs have trouble with flow distribution.
Co-current

Cross-current

Counter-current

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Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

High Rate Settlers

Counter-current

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Co-current

Cross-current

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Problem: High Rate Settlers

Problem: A sedimentation basin has been retrofitted with 2.0-m
(6.6-ft) square inclined plates spaced 50mm (2.0 in.) apart. The
angle of inclination of the plates can be altered from 0 to 80.
Assuming that the sedimentation basin can be used for
countercurrent, co-current, or cross-flow sedimentation, determine
which flow pattern is the most efficient for particle removal

CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Sedimentation Basin Innovations

Increases the plan area (A)

for the same flowrate (Q)
and reduces the effective
SOR
CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Rectangular and Circular sedimentation

tanks
Rectangular tank
L:W = 4:1
W = 10 m is
common

Circular tank
Max. 60 m
diameter

CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Factors affecting sedimentation and

design
Factors criteria
Size, shape and weight of the particles
Viscosity and temperature of water
Surface overflow rate (SOR = Q/BL)
Inlet and outlet arrangements
Detention period (t =V/Q) and actual time of flow
Effective depth of settling basin (3m 5m)
Design Criteria
SOR = 450-800 litres/hr/m2 (900-1200 litres/hr/m2
for sedimentation with coagulation-flocculation)
Detention time = 1 10 hrs, hor. velocity = 15
cm/min (max)
Eckenfelder recommends a scale up factor of 0.65 for
SOR and 1.75 for detention time
CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment
Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Case study: Keranigonj SWTP

Flocculant Settling column test results for the Padma
River water (Aluminum sulfate used as a coagulant)

Expected SS removal = 93%

Required detention time, t = 17-20
min
Actual t ~ 30 min (using 1.75 scale
up factor)
CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Case study: Keranigonj SWTP

Flocculant Settling column test results for the Padma
River water (Aluminum sulfate used as a coagulant)

SOR for 93% turbidity removal =

140 m/day
Actual design SOR = 91 m/day
(considering a 0.65 scale up factor)

CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed

Flotation
A solid-liquid separation process that transfers solids to the
liquid surface through attachment of bubbles to solid
particles
Process Variables
Design

Operational
Physcial

Hydraulic
loading
Solids
loading

Chemical

Recycled flow
Coagulant
Operating
dose
pressure air
pH
quantity
Influent solids
Solids removal
concentration
frequency
Flotation systems:
1) Dissolved air flotation
2) Dispersed air flotation
3) Electrolytic flotation

CE6301: Theory of Water Treatment

Dr. Tanvir Ahmed