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Design of a clarifier thickener unit

Procedure of the Batch settling tests

The treated wastewater was then transferred to a 3-L graduated cylinder for the
sedimentation test. Batch settling experiments of varying conditions as shown in Table 1,
were performed using a graduated glass cylinder. 1000 cm 3 of feed suspension is taken
and settling test is performed by recording the height of interface in the cylinder every 5
min.

On the basis of the data from the settling trials and other relevant factors, we calculated
the design of a clarifier-thickener unit according to the Talmadge and Fitch method. The
operating conditions chosen were: pH 7 and 40 mL NaCl extracted coagulant dosage. The
choice was made taking into account economic factors (coagulant dose), possible
discharge of the water (pH), and optimal reaction conditions. The design area required for
a clarifier-thickener that must handle concentrated suspensions under a continuous flow
regime is determined by the settling and thickening characteristics of the suspension.
Talmadge and Fitch indicate that the information from batch settling trials, such as is
illustrated in the settling curve of Fig. 11, can be used to estimate the required
clarification and thickening areas. The clarification area depends on the initial settling
velocity of the supernatantsuspension interface. The rate of loading the clarification
surface must be less than the settling rate of the suspension, so that the minimum area
required for clarification (Ac) is given by:
Q
Ac c (12)
Vs
where Vs is the settling velocity for hindered settling, determined from the first 10 min
of settling.
The flow rate of clarified water that can be estimated by the expression:
Hc
Qc Q 1 (13)
Ho
where Q is the flow rate of effluent through the tank, H o the initial interface height, and
Hc is the interface height corresponding to the critical concentration, Cc, that will be
estimated as described below. We shall assume for the present case that there are two
deposits of tannery industry wastewater that supply an inflow to the tank of 5m 3 h1. To
calculate the thickener area, At , according to TalmadgeFitch method the thickening
capacity can be determined from the data of a batch settling experiment corresponding to
thickened (concentrated) suspensions, with adequate thickening being attained when At
is given by the expression:
Q tu
At (14)
Ho

where tu is the time required to reach the desired underflow sludge concentration, Cu ,
determined from the batch settling trials. There exist a critical concentration that gives a
maximum required area. This critical concentration is to be the basis for the design.
Eckenfelder and Milbinger [17] estimated this critical concentration by taking the
bisectrix of the angle formed by the tangents to the hindered settling zone and to the
compression zone in the settling curve (the height of the supernatantsuspension interface
versus time, see Fig. 11). The intersection of the bisectrix with the curve gives the point
at which the concentration is critical (Cc).
The value of tu is obtained from the intersection of the horizontal line traced from the
height H u with the tangent to the curve at the critical point. H u is the height of the
interface that corresponds to the desired sludge underflow concentration Cu , and can be
obtained from the mass balance equation:
Co H o Cc H c Cu H u (15)
The areas required for clarification ( Ac ) and for thickening ( At ) were, respectively,
Ac = 0.036 m2 and At = 4.91m2. The thickening area was therefore that used for the
design. The scale factor recommended by Eckenfelder is 1.5 for Ac and 2 for At .

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