Lecture 4A

Physical Wastewater Treatment

Agenda: Physical Wastewater Treatment

overview of physical wastewater treatment

screening
flow equalization
mixing
flocculation
sedimentation
flotation
aeration

4A-2

Physical Wastewater Treatment:

Overview

4A-3

Physical Unit Operations

Physical Unit Operations or Unit Operations are
operations in wastewater treatment by means of or through
the application of physical forces
Examples
screening
comminution
grinding
flow equalization
mixing
flocculation (agitation via
mixing)

sedimentation
flotation
aeration
filtration

4A-4

Physical Unit Operations:

Applications and Devices

4A-5

4A-6

Screening and Flow Equalization

4A-7

Screening
Screening remove coarse materials from the incoming
flow stream. These materials, if not removed, could:
damage subsequent process equipment
reduce overall treatment reliability and effectiveness
contaminate waterways
A Screen is a device with openings used for retaining
solids found in the influent wastewater to the treatment
plant
Materials removed are known as screenings.

4A-8

Coarse Screen, Fine Screen, & Microscreen

4A-9

Screening
screening element may consist of parallel bars, rods or
wires, grating, wire mesh, or perforated plate
screen openings geometry typically circular or
rectangular slots
coarse screens with parallel bars / rods: bar rack
fine screens often with perforated plates, wedgewire
elements, and wire cloth with small openings

4A-10

Types of Coarse Screens (bar racks)

hand-cleaned coarse screens
used frequently ahead of pumps in small wastewater
pumping stations or at the headworks of small-tomedium sized treatment plant
often used for standby screening in bypass channels
for service during high-flow periods
to sub-in while mechanically cleaned screens are being repaired
as backups in the event of power failure

mechanically cleaned bar screens

mechanically cleaned reduce operating and
maintenance problems
sub-divided into 4 designs/types
4A-11

4A-12

Pros & cons of

different bar screens

4A-13

Fine Screens
Fine Screens are used over a broad spectrum of
applications:
preliminary treatment (following coarse screens)
primary treatment (as a substitute of clarifiers)
treatment of combined sewer overflows
removal of solids causing clogging problems
Types of Fine Screens
static (fixed), rotary drum, or step type
openings vary from 0.2 to 6 mm
headloss generally range from 0.8 1.4 m

4A-14

Types of Fine Screens

static wedgewire

drum

step
4A-15

Flow Equalization
Flow Equalization is the damping of flowrate variations to
achieve a constant or nearly constant flowrate.
to overcome operational problems caused by flowrate
variations
to improve performance of downstream processes
to reduce size and cost of downstream treatment
facilities
Main Applications of Flow Equalization
dry-weather flows to reduce peak flows and loads
wet-weather flows in collection systems experiencing
inflow and infiltration
combined stormwater and sanitary system flows
4A-16

Flow Equalization Pros and Cons

Benefits
biological treatment is enhanced by reducing shock
loadings, inhibiting substances, and fluctuating pH
effluent quality and thickening of secondary
sedimentation tanks is improved
effluent filtration performance is improved
damping of mass loading improves chemical feed control
and process reliability
Disadvanages
large land areas may be needed
equalization facilities need odor control (e.g., cover)
additional operation and maintenance
capital cost
4A-17

Flow Equalization Configurations

inline arrangment
all of the flow passes through the equalization basin
offline arrangement
only the flow above some predetermined flow limit is
diverted into the equalization basin
pumping requirement is minimized
used to capture the first flush from combined collection
systems

4A-18

Two Approach of Flow Equalization

4A-19

Flow Equalization Design Considerations

where should the equalization facilities be
located?
what type of equalization configuration should
be used?
what is the required basin volume?
what are the features that should be
incorporated into design?
can the deposition of solids and potential odors
be controlled?

4A-20

Two Approach of Flow Equalization

4A-21

Mixing, Flocculation,
Sedimentation, Flotation, Aeration

4A-22

Mixing and Flocculation

Mixing: Applications
mixing of one substance completely with another
blending of miscible liquids
flocculation of wastewater particles
continuous mixing of liquid suspensions
heat transfer
most mixing operations can be classified as continuousrapid (less than 30s) or continuous (i.e., ongoing)

4A-23

Common Mixers in
Wastewater Treatment

4A-24

Typical Impellers for Mixing

4A-25

Gravity Separation Theory

removal of suspended and colloidal materials
from wastewater stream by means of
gravitational settling
sedimentation = separation of suspended
particles heavier than water by gravitational
settling
sedimentation basin = sedimentation tank,
clarifier, settling basin, settling tank
accelerated gravity settling refers to the removal
of particles in suspension by gravity settling in
an accelerated flow field
4A-26

4A-27

Gravity Separation Theory

sedimentation is used for the removal of

grit, TSS (primary settling basins)

biological floc (in activated-sludge settling basin)
chemical floc (after chemical coagulation)
solids removals (in sludge thickners)

primary purpose of sedimentation is to produce

a clarified effluent

4A-28

Grit Removal
Grit consists of sand, gravel, cinders, or other heavy solid
materials that have subsiding velocities or specific gravities
substantially greater than those of the organic matter/solids
in wastewater
removal of grit is often done in grit chambers or
centrifugation units
grit chambers often follow screens but go before primary
sedimentation tanks
removal of grit is essential ahead of centrifuges, heat
exchangers, and high-pressure diaphragm pumps

4A-29

Grit Chambers
Grit Chambers are provided to:
protect moving mechanical equipment from
abrasion and abnormal wear
reduce formation of heavy deposits in pipelines,
channels, and conduits
reduce frequency of digestion cleaning caused
by excessive accumulation of grit
4A-30

Types of Grit Chambers

horizontal flow type horizontal flow; flow velocity controlled by dimension of
the unit, the influent distribution gate, and a weir at the
exit
aerated type spiral-flow aeration tank
spiral velocity is induced and controlled by tank
dimension and quantity of air supplied
vortex type
cylindrical tank with flow entering tangentially, creating a
vortex flow pattern
grit separation by virtue of centrifugal and gravitational
forces
4A-31

Grit Removal

4A-32

Grit Chamber:
Aerated Type

Grit Chamber:
Vortex Type

4A-33

Primary Sedimentation
Primary Sedimentation is used as a preliminary processing
for incoming wastewater
typical primary sedimentation tanks should remove 50
70% of the suspended solids and 25 40 % of the BOD
sedimentation tanks have also been used as stormwater
retention tanks (with a detention period of 10 to 30 min)
for overflows from combined sewers or storm sewers;
this allow a substantial portion of the organic solids to be
removed

4A-34

Primary
Sedimentation
Tank:

top-down view

Rectangular Tank

side view

4A-35

Primary
Sedimentation
Tank:
Circular Tank

center feed

peripheral feed
4A-36

Sedimentation Tank Performance

Efficiency of sedimentation basins with respect to the
removal of BOD and TSS is reduced by:
eddy currents formed by the inertia of the incoming fluid
wind induced circulation cells formed in uncovered tanks
thermal convection currents
cold or warm water causing the formation of density
currents along the bottom or across the top of the tank
thermal stratification in hot arid climate

4A-37

Flow Patterns in Rect. Sedimentation Tanks

4A-38

Short Circuiting and Hydraulic Stability

in an Ideal Sedimentation Basin, a given block of
entering water should remain in the basin for the full
detention time
in practice, sedimentation basins are seldom ideal and
considerable short circuiting is often observed
to determine if short circuiting exists and to what extent,
tracer studies should be performed and timeconcentration curves by developed and analyzed
if in repeated tests, the time-concentration curves are
similar, then the basin is stable
if the time-concentration curves are not repeatable,
the basin is unstable and the performance of the basin
will be erratic
4A-39

Temperature and Wind Effects

temperature effects can be significant in sedimentation
basins
a 1oC temperature differential between incoming
wastewater and wastewater in the sedimentation tank
will cause a density current to form
wind blowing across the top of open basins can cause
circulation cells to form, reducing the effective volumetric
capacity of the sedimentation basins
for both the temperature and the wind effects, the
reduced performance depends on the material being
removed and its characteristics

4A-40

Design Considerations
if all solids in wastewater were discrete particles of
uniform size, density, and shape, then the removal
efficiency of these solids would be dependent on the
surface area of the tank and time of detention
the depth of the tank would have little influence, provided
that horizontal velocities would be maintained below the
scouring velocity
however, solids in most wastewater are heterogeneous
in nature, and the conditions under which they are
present can range from total dispersion to complete
flocculation
in general, weir loading rates have little effect on the
efficiency of primary sedimentation tank
4A-41

Detention Time
bulk of the finely divided solids reaching primary
sedimentation tanks is incompletely flocculated but is
susceptible to flocculation
flocculation is aided by eddying motion of the fluid within
the tanks and proceeds through the coalescence of fine
particles, at a rate that is a function of their concentration
and of the natural ability of the particles to coalesce upon
collision
coalescence of a suspension of solids becomes more
complete as time elapses, thus, detention time is a
consideration in the design of sedimentation tanks
the mechanics of flocculation are such that as the time of
sedimentation increases, less and less coalescence of
remaining particles occurs
4A-42

Detention Time
primary sedimentation tanks are often designed to
provide 1.5 to 2.5 h of detention based on the average
rate of wastewater flow
(tanks that provide shorter detention periods (0.5 to 1 h)
are sometimes used for preliminary treatment ahead of
biological treatment units)
in cold climates, water viscosity increases with lower
temperatures, thus slowing down the settling of particles
in clarifiers an increase in detention time is necessary
to maintain the same particles removal efficiency
at 10oC, the detention period is 1.38 times that required
at 20oC in order to achieve the same efficiency
clarifier should be designed to ensure adequate
performance
4A-43

Temperature Dependence of
Required Detention Time

4A-44

Flotation
Flotation is a unit operation used to separate solid or liquid
particles from a liquid phase
separation is brought about by introducing fine gas
(usually air) bubbles into the liquid phase
the bubbles attach to the particulate matter, and the
buoyant force of the combined particle and gas bubbles
is great enough to cause the particle to rise to the
surface
particles that have a higher density than the liquid can
thus be made to rise
the rising particles with lower density than the liquid can
also be facilitated (e.g., oil suspension in water)

4A-45

Flotation
in wastewater treatment, flotation is used mainly to
remove suspended matter and to concentrate
biosolids
main advantages of flotation over sedimentation are that
very small or light particles that settle slowly can be
removed more completely and in a shorter time
once the particles have been floated to a surface, they
can be collected by a skimming operation
the degree of removal can be enhanced through the use
of various chemical additives, changing the nature of
air-liquid or liquid-solid interface to trap air bubbles
dissolved-air flotation is frequently used for thickening of
waste biosolids
4A-46

Dissolved-air Flotation
flow passed through pressurized tank and pick up air at
elevated pressure
when stream enters the flotation tank, pressurized gas is
released via bubbling

4A-47

Dispersed-air Flotation
air is induced and dispersed into the liquid by pumping
action of the inductors

4A-48

Oxygen Transfer
Oxygen Transfer is the process by which oxygen is
transferred from the gas phase to the liquid phase.
oxygen transfer is commonly applied in the biological
treatment of wastewater
functioning of aerobic processes such as activated
sludge, biological filtration, and aerobic digestion
depends on the availability of oxygen
low solubility of oxygen in water
to transfer large quantities oxygen, need to provide
additional interfaces for transfer
air or oxygen can be introduced into the liquid, or the
liquid in the form of droplets can be exposed to the
atmosphere
4A-49

Oxygen Transfer in Clean Water

for a given volume of water being aerated, aeration
devices are evaluated on the basis of the quantity of
oxygen transferred per unit of air introduced to the water
for equivalent conditions (T, chemical composition of the
water, depth at which the air is introduced, etc.)
accepted test method involves the removal of dissolved
oxygen (DO) from a known volume of water by the
addition of sodium sulphite followed by reoxygenation to
near the saturation level. The DO of the water volume is
monitored during the reaeration period by measuring DO
concentration at several different points / sampling
locations selected to best represent the contents of the
tanks
4A-50

Aeration Systems

4A-51

End of Lecture