4/9/2020 Gravity Filters - Sewage Treatment - Reverse Osmosis - Waste water Treatment

Gravity Filters

(http://www.aesarabia.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/12/gravity_ lters_1.jpg)Gravity lters are so
named because water ows through the lter bed by gravity instead of
being pushed through by a pump or a high static head of pressure.

These lters are commonly found in municipal drinking water

applications, but in industrial settings are usually only associated with
an upstream clari er.

Process and Operations Review : Water ows into the middle compartment and is distributed over a bed of lter
media by an inlet distributor. Gravity pulls the service water through the lter media bed and into the lower
compartment. The upper compartment stores water for the backwash cycle.

The lter media bed consists of strati ed anthracite and sand, with the largest media particles on top and the
smallest on the bottom. After the water ows through the media bed, it passes through strainers that hold back the
lter media particles, but allow the water to be collected in a plenum. From the plenum, the water ows through

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the transfer pipe into the backwash storage chamber (above the bed). As the water reaches the top of the
backwash storage container, it over ows through the service outlet.

Periodically, the media bed must be backwashed to remove the particles it collects. Backwash is initiated when the
pressure drop through the media bed exceeds a set point; it can also be initiated on a timed basis. The water supply
for the backwash cycle is stored in the backwash storage chamber above the lter bed. The backwash ow rate is
much higher than the normal service ow rate. The media bed compartment has su cient freeboard to allow
expansion of the media bed during the backwash cycle.

Another method of cleaning the media bed is with an optional air scour system. The bed is drained down and air is
blown up through the media bed, causing the lter particles to scrub impurities o of each other. If the air scour
option is selected, a valve is added to the transfer pipe to hold back the water in the backwash chamber during the
drain down and air scour steps.

Gravity lters are occasionally provided with external backwash capability. This feature provides a constant
backwash ow (rather than diminishing ow, as with a self-contained system) and unlimited volume (not restricted
by the capacity of the backwash storage chamber). However, the air scour option provides improved cleaning
capabilities with less capital cost and less waste generation.

The following modes of operation for a gravity lter are described below:
Normal service
Drain down (part of air scour option)
Air scour (optional)
Backwash

Normal Service :
The valve con guration is described in the following list.

Service inlet valve open (to allow incoming water into the lter)
Backwash outlet valve closed (to prevent the incoming water from going drain)
Optional drain valve closed (to prevent ltered water going to drain)
Optional air scour air supply valve closed (to prevent the introduction of air into the service water)
Transfer block valve open (to allow ow into the backwash storage compartment)

Normal service continues until the pressure drop through the bed exceeds the set point, or for a pre-determined
time interval.

(http://www.aesarabia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/gravity_ lters_2.jpg)Drain
down (optional) :
The drain down step, described below, only occurs prior to an air scour cycle.
Service inlet valve closed (to prevent service water entering the lter)
Backwash outlet valve open (to allow air into the tank as water exits the tank)
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Drain valve open (to lower water level in the media compartment and
plenum)
Air scour air supply valve closed (to prevent the introduction of air
until the water reaches the proper level)
Transfer block valve closed (to prevent water from backwash storage
from entering the plenum and media compartment)

The drain valve remains open until the water level drops to the top of
the media bed. To reach the proper water level, the drain valve is
opened for a xed time interval, there is no way to monitor the level.

(http://www.aesarabia.com/wp-

content/uploads/2015/12/gravity_ lters_3.jpg)Drain down (optional) :

The drain down step, described below, only occurs prior to an air scour cycle.
Service inlet valve closed (to prevent service water entering the lter)
Backwash outlet valve open (to allow air into the tank as water exits the tank)
Drain valve open (to lower water level in the media compartment and plenum)
Air scour air supply valve closed (to prevent the introduction of air until the water reaches the proper level)
Transfer block valve closed (to prevent water from backwash storage from entering the plenum and media
compartment)

The drain valve remains open until the water level drops to the top of the media bed. To reach the proper water
level, the drain valve is opened for a xed time interval, there is no way to monitor the level.

Air Scour (optional) :

The valve con guration is described in the following list.
Service inlet valve closed (to prevent new incoming water into the vessel)
Backwash outlet valve open (to allow air to escape from the lter media compartment)
Drain valve closed (to prevent water from going to drain)
Air scour inlet valve open (to deliver a supply of air into the plenum and up through the strainers for the air
scour cleaning of the media bed)
Transfer valve closed (to prevent the water in the backwash storage compartment from entering the plenum)

After a set amount of time, the air scour cycle is complete, and the air scour inlet valve is closed.

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content/uploads/2015/12/gravity_ lters_4.jpg)Backwash :
The valve con guration is described in the following
Service inlet valve closed (to prevent incoming water from entering the lter at the inlet distributor)
Backwash outlet valve open (to allow dirty backwash water to exit the lter)
Drain valve closed (to prevent backwash water going to drain before it enters the media compartment)
Optional air scour air supply valve closed (to prevent the introduction of air into the service water)
Optional transfer valve open (to allow water from the backwash storage compartment to ow back through
the plenum and media compartment)

When the backwash storage compartment is empty, the backwash cycle is complete, and the lter is ready to
resume normal service.

Valves :

Gravity lters normally have butter y valves, although diaphragm valves can be used on smaller units. All valves
except the inlet isolation valve are typically provided with automatic actuators for control via the system PLC. The
drain valve has an automatic actuator only if air scour is used. The air scour inlet (if selected) and the backwash
outlet valves should also be provided with adjustable travel stops so that the ow rates can be set.

Materials of Construction :

Gravity lters are typically made of carbon steel and are often assembled on site. If the water is aggressive and
dissolved iron is a concern, the carbon steel can be lined with an epoxy or coal tar spray on lining. The coal tar lining
provides a thicker coating but is not as robust as the epoxy.

Application :

Gravity lters are used to remove suspended solids from the service water and are typically downstream of pre-
treatment clari ers. Gravity lters are commonly used when the turbidity and color of the in uent are too high for
pressure lters (turbidity greater than 50 NTU and color greater than 10 APHA). Any oc carryover from the clari er
is also removed.With a lack of driving pressure, gravity lters have the advantage of being unable to drive
suspended matter through the lter bed and into the e uent. The disadvantages are the large space required to
house the unit, and that service water must be pumped to its use point, as all pressure is lost across the gravity
lter.
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