Effluent Conveyance

Paul Trotta, P.E., Ph.D.

Justin Ramsey, P.E.
Chad Cooper

University Curriculum Development

for Decentralized Wastewater
Management

1
 NDWRCDP Disclaimer
This work was supported by the National Decentralized Water
Resources Capacity Development Project (NDWRCDP) with
funding provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
through a Cooperative Agreement (EPA No. CR827881-01-0)
with Washington University in St. Louis. These materials have
not been reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. These materials have been reviewed by
representatives of the NDWRCDP. The contents
of these materials do not necessarily reflect the views and
policies of the NDWRCDP, Washington University, or the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the mention of trade
names or commercial products constitute their endorsement or
recommendation for use.

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 CIDWT/University Disclaimer
These materials are the collective effort of individuals from
academic, regulatory, and private sectors of the
onsite/decentralized wastewater industry. These materials have
been peer-reviewed and represent the current state of
knowledge/science in this field. They were developed through a
series of writing and review meetings with the goal of formulating
a consensus on the materials presented. These materials do not
necessarily reflect the views and policies of University of
Arkansas, and/or the Consortium of Institutes for Decentralized
Wastewater Treatment (CIDWT). The mention of trade names or
commercial products does not constitute an endorsement or
recommendation for use from these individuals or entities, nor
does it constitute criticism for similar ones not mentioned.

3
 Citation
Trotta, P.D., and J.O. Ramsey. 2005. Effluent
Conveyance - PowerPoint Presentation. in (M.A.
Gross and N.E. Deal, eds.) University
Curriculum Development for Decentralized
Wastewater Management. National
Decentralized Water Resources Capacity
Development Project. University of Arkansas,
Fayetteville, AR.

4
Conveyance Overview

5
 Section Objectives:
¾ Provide introduction to Conventional Sewer
Systems
¾ Introduce design limitations of
Conventional Sewer Systems
¾ Discuss Vacuum Sewers
¾ Discuss Grinder Pumps
¾ Compare and contrast Pressure and
Gravity Flow Effluent Sewer Systems

6
 Overview of Onsite and
Decentralized
All aspects of Onsite and Decentralized wastewater
treatment and dispersal involve the movement of
effluents of varying qualities. This includes transfers
from:
¾ Individual homes to cluster or community collection
systems.
¾ Individual homes to onsite treatment facilities.
¾ Onsite treatment facilities to onsite disposal facilities

7
 Design Constraints of Large
Scale Systems
Large-scale municipal gravity flow sewer systems are
generally designed with the following constraints in
mind:
¾ Flow velocities
¾ Average, low, or high flows
¾ Inverted siphons
¾ Minimum sewer diameters
¾ Minimum and maximum sewer depths
¾ Access facilities (man-holes)Minimum horizontal
and vertical separations
8
 Additional Design Issues of
Large Scale Systems
Large-scale municipal gravity flow sewer
systems are generally designed with the
following constraints in mind:
¾ Lift Stations
¾ Cleanouts
¾ Air Relief Valves

9
 Decentralized Sewer Systems
The onsite counterparts or alternatives to
municipal sewer system include:
¾ Septic Tank Effluent Pump
¾ Enhanced-Flow STEP systems
¾ Low Pressure Pipe/Low Pressure Distribution
¾ Septic Tank Effluent Gravity
¾ Grinder Pump
¾ Vacuum Systems

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 STEP and GP Systems
Compared below are the basic features of STEP and GP
systems.

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Pressure Flow vs. Gravity Flow
Pressure Flow hydraulics most often makes
use of a pump to provide the energy
necessary to overcome friction, provide
velocity, and/or change elevation. Gravity
Flow hydraulics always make use of gravity
as the source of force necessary to overcome
friction and provide velocity. There are,
however, situations in which the distinction
can be blurred.
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Wastewater Design
Flows

13
 Section Objectives:
¾ Cover community sewer systems Design
Flows and Peak Factors
¾ Introduce STEP and STEG Design Flows
¾ Design process for STEP Design Flow and
Peak Flow Estimation

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 Community Sewer System Design
Flows and Peaking Factors
The design of all wastewater collection systems, weather
they are centralized, decentralized or individual onsite
systems, are affected by the daily variation of the wastewater
or treated effluent that they are designed to carry.

15
 Design Flows for STEP & STEG
Systems
Shown is a typical diurnal flow pattern for a single residence
with gravity flow discharges, the average per house
discharge from five homes and the average per house
discharge from 61 homes

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 Flow Modulation from Multiple
Contributors to a STEP system
There are several additional hydraulic features
of the pump systems used within STEP
systems that can either increase or decrease
the peak flows that reach it. The factors to be
considered include:
¾ The discharge characteristics of the pump
chosen
¾ The tank dimensions
¾ The control floats set points

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 STEP Diurnal Flow Stream from a
single home
Shown is a simulated typical STEP diurnal flow pattern for a
single residence

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 Design Flow and Peak Flow
Estimation for STEP Systems
It should be apparent that joining the
discharges from several homes and
developing a reasonable design flow
presents a challenging problem. Two
fundamental approaches to developing a
design flow have been identified:
¾ Probability Method
¾ Rational Method

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Pressure Distribution

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 Section Objectives:
¾ Understand and calculate Friction Losses
¾ Calculate Minor losses with Equivalent
Lengths and Loss Coefficients
¾ Compute the total head required to pump
water from a tank to a disposal field for a
given flow rate.
¾ Interpret pump performance curves
¾ Compare pump performance curves to
system requirements and select the
appropriate pump for a system.
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Types of Pressure Distribution
¾ Pressure delivery to a distribution box for
subsequent gravity flow to individual
disposal trenches
¾ Pressure delivery to the laterals within the
individual disposal trenches, which is often
referred to as Low Pressure Pipe or LPP.
¾ Pressure delivery to the common community
pressure line of a STEP system
¾ Pressure delivery to the common community
gravity line of a STEG system

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 Friction Losses
Friction Losses are generated as the flow slides
along the pipe and bumps into obstacles (turns,
bends, expansions and contractions) and the
energy that is used up in the water as it slides
around itself in turbulence.

Generally losses are related to these variables:

Pipe Length Water Velocity
Pipe Diameter Water Viscosity
Pipe Material 23
 Head Loss Equations

Darcy Weisbach
Hl = f * L/D * V2/2g

Hazen Williams
Head loss/100 ft of pipe = 100 * (Q/(0.285 * C * D 2.63) )
1.85

Q = flow in gallons per minute

D = pipe diameter in inches
C = smoothness coefficient

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 Head Loss
Table

If it is desired to use the

Hazen Williams Formula
directly, use a “C” value
of 140 (for plastic pipe).

If it is desired to use the

Darcy Wesibach Hl = f
*(L/D)*V2/(2g) be sure
to use the actual inside
pipe diameter and a
friction factor “f” equal
to 0.021
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 Minor Losses

¾ Impacts of Minor Losses: losses resulting

from changes in direction, changes in
flow area and changes in friction due to
fittings.
¾ Equivalent lengths or loss coefficients
are used to calculate minor losses.

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 Equivalent Length and Loss
Coefficients
Equivalent lengths (Le) assume each fitting or flow variation
produces a head loss that is equal to the losses caused by an
equivalent length of the pipe.
For example, a 2-inch gate valve may produce the same amount
of friction as 1.5-feet of 2-inch pipe. Therefore the equivalent
length of the gate valve is 1.5-feet.

Each fitting has a loss coefficient, K, associated with it. This

coefficient is multiplied by the kinetic energy to get the associated
loss
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 Head Loss:
Continuous versus Perforated

Hl multiple orifices along a pipe = 1/3 * Hl total pipe carrying the total flow28
 Pump & Pipe System
A simple diagram of a sample Pump and Pipe System

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 System Curve Components
The system curve is defined as the total of the static lift (the
change in elevation) plus the friction loss in the piping
system.

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 Hydraulic Machine
For each pound of water lifted one foot, one foot-pound of
work is done. If 550 foot-pounds of work are done per
second we call that 1 HP {0.746 kW}.

31
 Ideal versus Actual Pump Curve
Pumps have efficiencies somewhat less than 100% and
exhibit different efficiencies at different flow rates. This
results in the typical pump curve departing more and more
from the ideal curve as the flow departs more and more from
its optimum design point.

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 Family Of Pump Curves
Multiple pump curves from a manufacturer are needed prior
to selecting a pump best suited for a design.

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 System Curve & Pump Curve
Illustrated is a system curve superimposed upon a series of
pump curves that will determine which operating point is
used for a design.

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Determining Flows Along The Line
The first step in the design of a community STEP system is
the application of pump hydraulic considerations to the
common line serving the entire community.

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 Establishing the Hydraulic Grade
Line
The design starts with the required elevation and exit
pressure or head and adds the head losses in each section
of pipe based upon the computed design flow for that section
of pipe

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From Septic Tank To Common Line

The second step in

the design of a STEP
system is the
application of pump
hydraulic
considerations to the
pressure line from the
individual pump to the
common transport
system.

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 From Septic Tank To Dispersal
System
One of the more common applications of pump hydraulics in
the onsite/decentralized arena is the use of pumps to deliver
effluent to a dispersal field.

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Gravity Conveyance in
Onsite & Decentralized

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 Section Objectives:
¾ Understand the basics of gravity flow and
its uses in Onsite design
¾ Understand and be able to use Manning’s
equation in Onsite design
¾ Become familiar with the basics in Gravity
Sewer design
¾ Understand some basic designs and
examples for wastewater distribution

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 Overview of Gravity Flow in
Individual Onsite Systems
The primary system components of a Onsite
Gravity Flow system are as follows:
¾ Conveyance
¾ Treatment
¾ Distribution
¾ Dispersal

41
 Gravity Collection and Conveyance
in Decentralized Systems
Decentralizes systems tend to serve smaller communities or
groups of homes and/or businesses.

42
 STEG/VGS Vs. Conventional
Sewage Collection Systems
STEG/VGS sewer systems, while still relying upon
gravity to move the effluent along are different in
several significant ways from the more
conventional municipal sewer system.
¾ Shallow Depth
¾ Diameter
¾ Inverted Siphons
¾ Lack of Solids
¾ Velocities
¾ Scour
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 STEG/VGS Vs. STEP Systems
STEG/VGS systems may be a more cost
effective solution to effluent transfer in
areas where a predominant downhill path
can be developed. STEG/VGS systems
differ from STEP systems in the following
ways:
¾ Pumps
¾ Grades
¾ Diameter
¾ Flow Equalization
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Gravity Conveyance Hydraulics In
Onsite & Decentralized
As the sewer pipe’s grade and elevation follow the natural
contours there are sections of the pipe which flow full under
slight hydrostatic pressure and there are areas which flow
with a free water surface as open channels.

45
Important hydraulic considerations
for gravity flow
In gravity sewer design there are four major
design factors to be considered:
¾ Slope
¾ Diameter
¾ Roughness
¾ Velocity {Min/Max}

46
 Manning’s Equation
¾ Q = Flow or discharge in
cubic feet per second
¾ n = Coefficient of
roughness
2 1 ¾ A = cross-sectional area
1.486 × R × S
3 2
×A of flow in square feet
V=
n ¾ R = Hydraulic radius in
feet
¾ S = Slope of the hydraulic
gradient in feet per foot

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Flow Depth versus Pipe
Diameter.
¾ The hydraulic radius is
the cross-sectional area
divided by the wetted
perimeter.
¾ Determining the hydraulic
radius for circular pipes
flowing partially full can
be extremely difficult.
¾ This figure can be used
to solve a variety of
unknowns based on the
ratio of the flow depth to
the pipe diameter.

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 Design Process for Gravity
Sewer Systems
¾ Gravity flow can be used where there is a
sufficient elevation difference between the
treatment outlet and the disposal plumbing.
¾ Gravity flow systems are simple, passive and
inexpensive, but are the least efficient method of
distribution.
¾ Distribution is very uneven over the infiltration
media
¾ Maximum and minimum flow variations are
necessary factors in properly sizing and
designing system components.
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 Design Limitations For Gravity
Flow Sewers
Sewer lines must be placed at a sufficient depth to prevent
freezing and to receive wastewater from the lowest
fixture unit location.

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 Distribution

¾ Gravity dispersal systems are used to disperse

treated wastewater back into the environment
¾ For percolating systems the gravity distribution
system is located in permeable, unsaturated
natural soil or imported fill material
¾ Perforated pipe is installed to distribute the
wastewater into the distribution system

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 Typical Soil Absorption Trench
Though both the sidewalls and the bottom of the trench may
act as infiltrative surfaces, most design guidelines call for
the area of the drain field to be based only on the area of
the bottom of the trench.

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 Uneven Flow
Even with careful attention paid to keeping the distribution
pipes level or with a constant grade, the effluent distribution
will concentrate at the beginning of the pipe.

Unfortunately, often due to less than perfect installation, the

actual discharges between orifices is more unpredictable.

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Serial Loading Trench
Instead of dividing the
flow equally among
the trenches as in a
system using
“D”boxes, the
highest trench is
loaded until
completely flooded
before the next
(lower) trench
receives effluent
and so on down
slope.

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 Application of a diversion valve
With diversion valves individual lines or entire sections of
drain fields can be “rested” as considered necessary.

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 Distribution Example 1
Given: A four bedroom residence generating 600 gallons per
day wastewater from typical family activities is discharged
after treatment to a disposal field. The system will
discharge into soils with a soil application rate of 0.4 gpd/sf.
Due to soil conditions at deeper levels and regulatory
constraints the trenches can only be 48” deep. Local
regulations allow trenches with a maximum width of 24” and
a minimum cover of 12”. The regulations also allow
absorption area to include the bottom of the trench and the
sidewalls up to the invert of the 4” dispersal pipe.

Find: Total length of trenches.

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