Lamella Clarifier

Lamella name is derived from the laminar flow regime that is maintained between the two layers
of the media. Lamella Clarifier is used for settling of flocculated raw water in water treatment
plants. The system consists of no. of square tanks with inclined plates or tube packs on the top
portion. Lamella Clarifier is a compact, inclined plate type of clarifier. It is used for clarification
of water, waste water and liquid having suspended and colloidal particles. Principle of Lamella
Clarifier is based on settling under gravity, providing number of inclined plates to give large
projected surface area.

Working Principle: The Lamella Clarifier provides a means of water clarification at a large saving of plant surface
area. The clarifier consists of a series of inclined overlapping plates, which are arranged to form a
separate sedimentation chamber or the cells between each pair of adjacent plates. The overlapping
additive projected area of several plates is a factor of increased surface settling area proportioned
to the number of plates used.
Before entering to Lamella Clarifier, water is first fed to Flash Mixer and Flocculation Tank
(FMFT). Chemicals like alum, ferric chloride, lime are added in flash mixer in which high-speed

agitator is provided for proper mixing of chemicals in water. Water from flash mixer enters in
flocculation chamber in which paddle type agitator is provided for gentle mixing. Polymer is added
for flocculation of coagulated particles. Sufficient residence time is provided in this chamber for
particles to become heavy before entering into Lamella Clarifier.

Static mixer can replace the flash mixer. In such case, chemicals were added prior to static mixer.
The zig-zag vanes are provided in static mixer to do proper mixing of chemicals.
The pretreated feed stream enters the Lamella and transverses through feed ducts longitudinally,
along each side of the Lamella plates, through a bottomless distribution duct. The liquid/solid feed
stream then enters each plate chamber near the bottom section of the plates and flows upward
between them. As the feed stream moves upwards, solids settle downward by the plates descending
a short distance onto the surface area provided by the plates. Solids continue to slide down the
plate surfaces to a collection hopper.
Near the top of each plate, water leaves each cell through a pair of circular openings in the
adjustable weir plate located along each side of the clarifier. The weir plate should be set
horizontally and in level so as to provide proper distribution of liquid through each circular
opening. It should also be set at a height to provide a design water level below top of the tank.
Sludge is periodically removed by opening the drain valve provided in the hopper bottom of the
Lamella clarifier.

Features: Flow entry - The flow enters from both sides of the plate. Distribution and entry velocities are
minimum to optimize the hydraulic flow regime, resulting in full plate utilization, maximum
efficiency and better effluent quality.

Weir take-off - A weir launder provides an effective weir length. The weir has orifices on either
side of each plate.
Removable plates - Individual plates are easily removable even during operation, making the unit
very simple to maintain. The design offers flexibility to handle changes in influent characteristics.
Hopper Arrangement - Several options are available for sludge storage. The standard
arrangement is a hopper bottom with a structural support frame. A second option is to mount the
lamella clarifier on top of a thickener in order to achieve a higher solids concentration, while
providing a large sludge volume.

Applications:
Ash / Scrubber waste treatment
Brine Clarification
Clarification of water
Coal and other mineral separation
Filter backwash water recovery
Food and dairy processing and wastewater
Iron Removal

Advantages: Sedimentation tank size smaller

Plates prevent sludge carry over while sliding Flocs snow ball
Any time Start up, no operational delay
High efficiency separation even at minimum density of Floc
Unaffected by Hydraulic shock loads
With recycle dirty water, excellent performance even in low turbidity.

Main process characteristics

Lamella clarifiers can handle a maximum feed water concentration of 10000 mg/L of grease and
3000 mg/L of solids. Expected separation efficiencies for a typical unit are:

90-99% removal of free oils and greases under standard operation conditions.
20-40% removal of emulsified oils and greases with no chemical amendment.
50-99% removal with the addition of chemical agent(s).
Treated water has a turbidity of around 1-2 NTU.

Initial investment required for a typical lamella clarifier varies from US$750 to US$2500 per cubic
meter of water to be treated, depending on the design of the clarifier.
The surface loading rate (also known as surface overflow rate or surface settling rate) for a lamella
clarifier falls between 1025 m/h. For these settling rates, the retention time in the clarifier is low,
at around 20 minutes or less, with operating capacities tending to range from 13 m3/hour/m2 (of
projected area).

Assessment of Characteristic
Separation of solids is described by sedimentation effectiveness, . Which is dependent on
concentration, flow rate, particle size distribution, flow patterns and plate packing and is defined
by the following equation.
=(c1-c2)/c2
where c1 is inlet concentration and c1 outlet concentration.
Inclined angle of plates allows for increased loading rate/throughput and decreased retention time
relative to conventional clarifiers. Increase in the loading rate of 2-3 times the conventional
clarifier (of the same size).
The total surface area required for settling can be calculated for a lamella plate with N plates, each
plate of width W, with plate pitch and tube spacing p.
Where,
A=W(Np+cos)

Lamella Cross Flow Separators

The Cross flow separator system permits simultaneous separation of floating and settling materials
like oils, fibers, sand etc. But are also individually applicable as oil and solids separators. The raw
water containing oil and/or suspended solids passes in horizontal direction between the closely
spaced plates in the plate pack. Completely laminar flow conditions are established while the water
flows across the plate pack from the inlet to the outlet side. Laminar and stable flow conditions are
essential conditions for the effective gravity separation of the water, oil and/or the suspended
contaminants.

Oil Separation
In the course of passing through the plate pack from inlet to outlet, the oil floats upwards info the
tops of the corrugations and rises up the incline of the plate to the surface of the separator, where
it is removed by a skimmer.

Solids Separation
The solids move towards the Bottoms of the corrugations and slide down the incline of ' the plate.
From there the separated solids are collected in the sludge compartment of the separator to be
partially dewatered and transported by a shaft less spiral conveyor and intermittently discharged
through a blow-off valve (optional). Settled sludge cannot decontaminate the treated water. Oil
and solids move in separate directions, but both perpendiculars to the flow of water, eliminating
particle re-entrainment completely.
All K-Pack separators are custom built with respect to the number of plates in the pack, the length
of the plates, the distance between the plates and the plate incline. The number and the length of
plates is determined as a function of the raw water flow rate to be processed in the separator. The
distance between the plates is depending upon the concentration of solids / sludge in the raw water.
The incline of the plates is set between 45 and 60 degrees depending upon the general nature of
the Oil and/or sludge, (density, viscosity, concentration).
The systems are fabricated in mild steel and other materials are available on request. The oil
separators are standard with oil and skim pipe and 45-degree shaped compartment. The solids
separators are optionally with a shaft less conveyor in the sludge compartment.
In the corrugation tops a very high oil concentration is established. This is the ideal condition for
oil coalescing to take place (formation of large oil droplets out of many small oil droplets). In the
corrugation bottoms a high sludge concentration is established. This is the ideal condition for
particle agglomeration to take place (formation of heavy particles from small and relatively light
particles)

CROSS FLOW SEPRATION PRINCIPLE

List of Patent file related to lamella flow:

1. https://www.google.com/patents/US3886064?dq=lamella+separator&hl=en&sa=X&ved=
0ahUKEwiZ97jsy8vOAhVDKMAKHWcZC9sQ6AEIHQhttps://www.google.com/patent
s/US3886064?dq=lamella+separator&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiZ97jsy8vOAhVDK
MAKHWcZC9sQ6AEIHQ
2. http://www.google.co.in/patents/WO1986005412A1?cl=en

3. https://www.google.ch/patents/US20020043355
4. https://www.google.com/patents/US20100247309
5. http://www.google.ie/patents/US6761801

Beltrami Flow
In vector calculus, a Beltrami vector field, named after Eugenio Beltrami, is a vector field in three
dimensions that is parallel to its own curl. That is, F is a Beltrami vector field provided that
VX (X V) = 0.(1)
If V is solenoidal - that is, if V = 0 such as for an incompressible fluid or a magnetic
field, we may examine
x ( x V) =-2 V + ( V)(2)
and apply this identity twice to find that
-2 V= x (V) .(3)
and if we further assume that is a constant,
2 V = -2 V(4)
An alternative formulation of the Beltrami condition is given as follows. For any vector field there
exists the identity:
An alternative formulation of the Beltrami condition is given as follows. For any vector field there
exists the identity:

(grad) =grad(

2
2

) x (curl ).(5)

where denotes the magnitude of v. Now, the Beltrami condition is satisfied if:
(grad) =grad(

2
2

)..(6)

Consequently, (6) represents a necessary and sufficient Beltrami condition. Since the Beltrami
flow (1) describes parallel or anti-parallel vorticity and velocity vectors, another useful formulation
of the Beltrami condition is represented by the relation:
curl v = c v(7)
where c denotes a scalar point function of position. This factor c assumes a certain degree of
importance in association with Beltrami fields.
Let w be the vorticity then;
c=w/v
Taking scalar product with v
c = (curl )/..(8)

Now c is expressed by the vorticity w only. By introducing v = w/c we obtain:

c = (w/c)(curl w/c)/(w/c)2

= w(curl w) /w2 .

In a general hydrodynamic system, the vorticity w is perpendicular to the velocity field v, creating
a so-called Magnus pressure force. This force is directed along the axis of a right-hand screw as it
would advance if the velocity vector rotated around the axis towards the vorticity vector. The
conditions surrounding a wing which produce aerodynamic lift describe this effect precisely.
However, in a Beltrami field, the vorticity and the velocity vectors are parallel or anti-parallel,
resulting in a zero Magnus force. The Beltrami condition is therefore an equivalent way of
characterizing a force-free flow situation, and vice versa.

Fig: Magnus force and vertices surrounding a wing

In order to model this type of flow field geometrically, Beltrami found that it was necessary to
consider a three-dimensional circular axisymmetric flow in which the velocity and vorticity field
lines described a helical pattern. This helicoidal flow field was unique in that the pitch of the
circular helices decreased as the radius from the central axis increased. This produces a specialized
shear effect between the field lines of successively larger cylindrical tubes comprising the
respective helices. In the limit of such a field, the central axis of the flow also serves as a field line.

Fig: Classical sheared vortex configuration in Beltrami flow

Beltrami flow is a particular case whose field generalization is popularly referred to as Eigen
functions of the curl operator.

ASSIGNMENT :01

ADVANCED FLUID MECHANICS

Submitted to:
Prof. P.M.V.Subbarao

Submitted By:
Vinayak Sudalai
Entry No: 2016MEZ8280