Sedimentation Principles and

Design of Facilities Part 2

Pradeep Kumar
S. Sarkar

ZONE SETTLING AND COMPRESSION SETTLING

Type I and II sedimentation
Zone settling occurs when a flocculent
suspensions with high initial concentration
(on the order of 500 mg/L) settles by gravity.
Flocculant forces between particles causes
settling as a matrix (particles remain in a
fixed position relative to each other as they Depth
settle). (Type III settling)
When matrix sedimentation is constrained
from the bottom, the matrix begins to
compress. Such a situation occurs when the
Time or Distance Down the Tank
matrix encounters the bottom of tank in
which it is settling. This is called compression
(Type IV) settling.
Type III and IV sedimentation
Clarified
water
zone
Interfacial
zone

Interface 1
Clarified
water
zone

Vs

H0
Transition
zone

Vc

Compaction
zone

t=0

Interface 2

tc>t>0

Hc

Xc
t=tc

Interfaces
meet and
coalesce

Compaction
zone

Hu

Xu
t=tu

ZONE SETTLING AND COMPRESSION SETTLING

Clarified
water
zone
Interfacial
zone

Interface 1
Clarified
water
zone

Vs

H0
Transition
zone

Vc

Compaction
zone

t=0
Uniform sludge conc. X0
Clarification Process

Interface 2

tc>t>0

Hc

Xc

Interfaces
meet and
coalesce

Compaction
zone

t=tc
Beginning of compaction

Hu

Xu

t=tu
End of compaction

Thickening Process

Below Interface 1, the solids settle at a uniform velocity and the blanket of solids moves at a
constant velocity of Vs. The solids that has reached at the bottom, starts getting compacted
as the water gets squeezed out from the compacted sludge. This compaction zone also has a
uniform concentration. This zone increases in volume over time. The interface 2 moves
upward at a velocity Vc.
The two interfaces meet at a critical time tc and the transition zone fades away. At this time
the settled sludge show an uniform concentration Xc, (critical concentration). Compaction
starts and reaches an ultimate concentration Xu.

Height of
Interface 1
Slope

Slope

dh
vc
dt
C

dh
vs
dt

dh
0
dt

t
0

t1

Settling Time, t (min)

Clarified
water
zone
Interfacial
zone

H0

Clarified
water
zone

Vs

Transition
zone

Vc

Compaction
zone

t=0

Interface 1

Interface 2

tc>t>0

Hc

Xc
t=tc

Interfaces
meet and
coalesce

Compaction
zone

Hu

Xu
t=tu

Sedimentation Tank Mass Balance

Liquid balance,

Q0 Qe Qu

Influent

Effluent

Q0, X0

Qe, Xe

Solids balance,

Q0 X 0 Qe X e Qu X u
Underflow
Qu, Xu

Q0 ( X u X 0 )
Qe
(Xu Xe)

Qu Q0 Qe
Protocol for Designing Secondary Clarifier
1. Calculate the minimum surface area required to allow for clarification of sludge
2. Calculate the minimum surface area required to provide for thickening of sludge to
the desired underflow condition.
3. Take the larger of these two area as the design area for clarifier.

Finding out the Minimum Area for Clarification Purpose

Minimum area required for clarification = Acl
It depends on the velocity vs with which the suspension in the interfacial zone settles
before reaching the critical concentration Xc
Therefore, under continuous flow conditions, velocity of water over the overflow weir
cannot exceed vs if clarification is to take place efficiently.

Thus,

Qe
Acl
vs

Settling velocity can be obtained from the zone

settling curves

dh
0A
vs

dt
0B
But, the clarifier designed with this criteria
may not necessarily mean that desired
concentration of solid (Xu) shall be achieved
at the underflow

Zone Settling of Sludge in a Batch Reactor Such as in a Laboratory Column

Clarified
water zone

GB X i vi

Xi

GB = batch Solids flux, mass/(unit area. Time)

Xi= Sludge concentration,
vi = Zone Settling velocity at Xi

Unlike discrete particle or flocculent Settling, here the zone settling velocity
of sludge gradually decreases over time after the critical concentration is
reached. At this situation, the water needs to be squeezed out in order to
allow for the sludge blanket to settle down. The greater the particle density,
the more difficult is to allow the water to pass through the settling sludge.
As the sludge blanket settles down, Xi
increases, due to water being continuously
squeezed out. At very high concentrations the
suspension is almost compacted and
approaches vi0, and from the above
equation GB0. On the other hand, at a low
concentrations, xi0, then also, GB0. This
suggests that a maximum for GB should occur
at some intermediate value of xi.

Solids Flux

vi

The capacity of the clarifier for carrying solids downwards at a

concentration Xi under gravity is given by

GB

Xi
Solids Concentration

MASS BALANCE AT A CLARIFIER

Influent

Effluent

Q0 , X 0

Qe, Xe

Q0 X 0 Qe X e Qu X u
Ideally, the outlet solids concentration
should be zero or may be much less than
the concentration at the underflow.

Xe 0
In either case,

Or,

Underflow
Qu, Xu

X e X u

Q0 X 0 Qu X u
M Qu X u Q0 X 0

Mass of the solids removed at the underflow,

If the area of the thickener is At, then this mass M should have settled down through this
thickener area. In such a case,
M AG

GT

Total Solids Flux through the thickener (unit mass/area)

M At GT Q0 X 0

Q0 X 0
At
GT

What is the physical significance of GT?

How do we find out GT?

Zone Settling in a Continuous-Flow Clarifier

1. Sludge settles down (corresponds to solids flux

in batch reactor
2. Settled Sludge is continuously being taken out
as the underflow

Influent

Effluent

Q0 , X 0

Qe, Xe

Total Solid flux = Solids flux in Batch reactor + Underflow flux

GT GB Gu

Underflow
Qu, Xu

At any solids concentration Xi of the settling sludge blanket,

GB X i vi

vi is the sludge velocity due to fall under gravity

Gu X i vu

vu is the sludge velocity due to underflow removal

The total solid flux can be controlled by manipulating vu as it can be controlled by

operating the valve at the outlet or changing the underflow pumping rate.
But, how to ensure that we obtain the target concentration of solids (Xu) at the
underflow?
We need to choose an appropriate area for thickening so that the target solids
concentration at the underflow is achieved.

Finding Thickener Area

Batch-flux curve

Draw tangent to the Batch-flux

curve from the point Xu and
extend it to meet the y-axis at B
vu

Underflow velocity,
vu

Solids Flux

Plot Xu on the x-axis

Qu
At

0 B GT

vu
0Xu Xu

tan

GB

Xi

Gu

GT

Qu X u Q0 X 0
AG
M
G

t T T
At X u
At X u At X u At X u X u

tan

Solids Concentration

Xu

0 A GB

vi
0Xi Xi

Slope of the tangent provides the underflow velocity (vu) required to achieve the underflow
concentration of Xu

GT GB Gu
0 A GB

0 B GT

AB Gu

Thickener Area,

At

M Q0 X 0

GT
GT

Example:
A laboratory batch thickening experiment with variable solids concentration
produced the following results:

Solids concentration (mg/L)

Settling Velocity (m/hr)

900

4.2

1400

3.0

2200

1.85

3000

1.21

3700

0.76

4500

0.45

5200

0.28

6500

0.13

8200

0.089

The influent concentration is MLSS 3000 mg/L, flow Rate is 8000 cum/day. Design a
secondary settling tank that will thicken the solids so that the underflow solids
concentration is 10,000 mg/L.

STEP 1. Calculate the solids flux based on the laboratory column analysis data
Solids
concentration
(mg/L)

Settling
Velocity
(m/hr)

Solids Flux
(kg/sqm.hr)
(col 1 X col 2)

900

4.2

3.78

1400

3.0

4.2

2200

1.85

4.07

3000

1.21

3.63

3700

0.76

2.80

4500

0.45

2.03

5200

0.28

1.46

6500

0.13

0.90

8200

0.089

0.73

6
mg m
mg
m
10
mg
1400 X 3
X
4.2 X 103 -3 3 X
4.2
L
hr
10 m
hr
m 2 .hr

STEP 2. Plot Solids Flux vs. Concentration

GT= 2.4

Gu=1.6
GT
GB=0.8

STEP 3. Draw Tangent to the curve with starting point , Xu = 10,000 mg/L, Find out
the ordinate. This is the solids flux GT. GT = 2.4 kg/sqm.hr

Required area of the clarifier so that it satisfies the thickening requirements,

At

M Q0 X 0

GT
GT

At

Q0 X 0 8000 cum/d * 3000 mg/L

416.7 sq.m.
GT
2.4 kg/sqm.hr

Check for the thickener clarification ability.

From the data table, the settling velocity of the sludge blanket with concentration of
3000 mg/L is 1.21 m/hr

At ACl

Q 8000 m 3 / d
ACl
275 m 2
vs
1.21 m/hr

So, area required for thickening will govern the process design. Hence, the surface
area of the clarifier shall be 417 sq m. The Diameter shall be 23 m.