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.