National Conference on Research Advances in Communication, Computation, Electrical Science and

Structures (NCRACCESS-2015)

Analysis and Design of Cascade Aerator Construction for Mettur

Water Treatment Plant
Kokila.K1, R.Divya2
Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering
Bharathiyar Institute of Engineering for Women
Abstract: Generally water can be treated in
treatment plants for removing harmful substances
present in it. The treatment process includes pretreatment, aeration, coagulation, flocculation,
sedimentation,
filtration,
fluoridation,
conditioning and disinfection. In our project we
concentrate on aeration process using cascade
aerators. The cascade aerators are efficient in
raising dissolved oxygen content of water, CO2
removal and a large contribution occurs to the
self-purification of water due to increase in DO,
which accelerates the process of decomposition of
organic matter. The working stress method
approach of design has been used and
recommendations of IS 456-2000, IS 875(Part III),
IS 1893 (Part I):2002 and SP-16 have been
adhered too. Here we analysis and design a
Cascade Aerator for Mettur water treatment
plant having a height of 21.6m using Staad Pro v8i
and Auto Cad 2010 respectively. The elements of
the aerator such as top and bottom ring beams,
slab, column, plinth beams, footing & foundation
are to be designed.M25 and Fe415 have been used
to design all the components of the aerator. The
typical analysis of a cascade aerator has been
performed on the basis of quantity of water
intake.

I. INTRODUCTION:
The main objective of treating water
intended for public water supplies is to produce
a supply of water that is chemically and
bacteriologically safe for human Consumption.
The treatment process includes pre-treatment,
aeration,
coagulation,
flocculation,
sedimentation,
filtration,
fluoridation,
conditioning and disinfection. In our project we
undergo aeration process using cascade aerators.
Aeration brings water and air in close contact in
order to remove dissolved gases (such as carbon
dioxide).
It oxidizes dissolved metals such as iron,
hydrogen sulfide, and volatile organic chemicals
(VOCs).

ISSN: 2348 8352

Aeration is often the first major process at the t

reatment plant. During aeration,
constituents are removed or modified before
they can interfere with the treatment processes.
All aerators are designed to create a greater
amount of contact between air and water to
enhance the transfer of gases and increase
oxidation. This makes the impure source of
water in greater rate of purity approximately 60
to 70% .The aeration processes is carried out
through various types of aerators.
II. TYPES OF AERATORS:
Aerators

Gravity
Mechanical
Aerators

Fountain
Aerators

Injection or
Diffused

Aerators
Chemicals removed or oxidized by aeration
Constituents commonly affected by
aeration are:
Volatile organic chemicals, such as
benzene
(found
in
gasoline),
or
trichloroethylene,
dichloroethylene,
and
perchloroethylene (used in dry-cleaning or
industrial processes).
Ammonia
Chlorine
Carbon dioxide
Hydrogen sulfide
Methane
Iron and Manganese

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National Conference on Research Advances in Communication, Computation, Electrical Science and

Structures (NCRACCESS-2015)
Design criteria
1 Number of steps

2 Space
requirement
3 Head required

Typical value
3
to
6
normally
(maximum
could be More than 10,
in fact more the number,
higher the efficiency)
0.015 - 0.045 m/m.h
0.50 - 3.0 m

4 Tread of step

20 - 40 cm

5 Rise of step

20 - 40 cm

6 Velocity of water 0.6 m/s - 0.9 m/s

in
theCollecting
channel
7 CO2
removal 20 - 45%
efficiency
8 H2S
removal 35%.
efficiency
Cascade Aeration
In this method, the water is made to fall
through certain height (1 to 3m) over a series of
steps (3 to 10) with a fall of about 0.15 to 0.3 m
in each step. The structure so formed is known
as a free fall Aerator. The simplest type of a free
fall aerator is known as a Cascade Aerator. Such
aerators are widely used as water features. They
will take large quantities of water in a
comparatively small area at low head, are simple
to be kept clean and can be made of robust and
durable materials with a long life.
The plates can be made of cast iron, or
of RCC, or timber, or even of glass. The aerator
should preferably be installed in open air.
However, for protection against air pollution,
freezing and algal growth, it can be installed in a
small house having plenty of louvered air inlets.
The cascade aerators are efficient in raising
dissolved oxygen content of water, but not for
CO2 removal, which is removed only in the
range of 60 to 70%.
Weirs and waterfalls of any kind are, of
course, cascade aerator. Where a stream passes
over an artificial or naturally occurring obstacle,
a large contribution occurs to the selfpurification of the river water, due to increase in
DO, which accelerates the process of
decomposition of organic matter. In a cascade

ISSN: 2348 8352

aerator, usually, the rate of flow may vary

between 20 to 100 m/h per m length of weir. To
allow entrained air to mix in the water, each
receiving basin should have a pool of water of
depth 0.3 to 0.5 m.
Weirs with serrated edges perform
better, as they help to break water flow into
separate jets. If the water is allowed to cling to
the steps, especially at low discharge rates, the
efficiency is reduced. The space requirement is
typically of the order of 0.5 m per 1m/h water
treated. The oxygen transfer efficiency should be
as 2.5 kg O2 / kWh.
Operating considerations:
Aeration raises the dissolved oxygen
content of the water. If too much oxygen is
injected into the water, the water becomes
supersaturated. Aerators fall into two categories.
They either introduce air to water, or water to
air. The water-in-air method is designed to
produce small drops of water that fall through
the air. The air-in-water method creates small
bubbles of air that are injected into the water
stream. All aerators are designed to create a
greater amount of contact between air and water
to enhance the transfer of gases and increase
oxidation.

Figure 1 Process of Cascade aerator

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National Conference on Research Advances in Communication, Computation, Electrical Science and

Structures (NCRACCESS-2015)
Figure 2 Cascade aerator plan layout
Cascade aerator typical design criteria:

(ratio between module 0f elasticity of concrete

and steel) can be used to determine the stresses
in steel and concrete. It used a factor of about
three times with respect to cube strength for
concrete and a factor of safety of about 1.8(with
respect to yield strength) for steel.
Even though the structures designed by
this method have been performing their
functions satisfactorily for many years, it has
three major defects.
1.

2.

Figure 3 Cascade aerator in Mettur water

treatment plant

Objective of project
The main objective is to produce a
supply water that is chemically and
bacteriological safe for human consumption.
In this project, the construction of
cascade aerator for effective treatment of water
has been done.
Scope of project
The scope of the study covers the design
of cascade aerator for water treatment plant,
Mettur using a new logic of increasing the
number of steps for effective splitting of Water
molecules and by reducing the usage of Alum in
Water treatment.
III. SPECIFICATIONS
Working stress method
This method of design was evolved
around in 1990 and was theoretical method
accepted by National Codes of practice for
design concrete sections. It assumes that both
concrete and steel acts together and are perfectly
elastic at all stages so that the modular ratio

ISSN: 2348 8352

Method deals only with the elastic

behavior of the member; it neither
shows its real strength nor gives the
true factor of safety of the structure
against failure.
The modular ratio itself is an
imaginary quantity. Because of
creep and nonlinear stress- strain
relationship, concrete does not have
a definite modulus of elasticity as in
steel.

The design moment and shear in the

structure are calculated by elastic analysis with
the characteristic loads. The stress in concrete
and steel in the sections are calculated on the
basis of elastic behavior of composite section.
I.S 456 recommended a modulus of elasticity of
concrete which varies with the strength of
concrete. But this method forms the part of limit
state design for a serviceability condition.
General design requirements according to the
Indian standards, code of practice (IS: 3370Part-II, 1965)
Plain concrete structures
Plain concrete members of reinforced
concrete liquid structures may be designed
against structural failure by allowing tension in
plain concrete as per the permissible limits for
tension in bending specified in IS456-2000. This
will automatically take care of failure due to
cracking. However nominal shear reinforcement
in accordance with the requirements of IS: 456
shall be provided for plain cement concrete
structural members.

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National Conference on Research Advances in Communication, Computation, Electrical Science and

Structures (NCRACCESS-2015)
Permissible stress in concrete for strength
calculation

Reinforceme
nt

Permissible tensile stress in the

reinforcement

and concrete and the corresponding allowable

stress in concrete.
Stresses in the reinforcement
The following working stresses are
adopted

Near water
face

Away from
water face

Mild steel

100 N/mm

125 N/mm

A steel reinforcement not less than 0.3 percent

of the cross section shall be provided in each
principle direction.

Fe 415

170 N/mm

200 N/mm

IV. RESULTANT COMPARISON

Fe 500

205 N/mm

245 N/mm

S.
N
O

PARAMETE
R

Type of
Aerator
No. of Trays
Speed of
water
Head
Water
treatment
capacity
Purity rate

In strength calculation the usual

permissible stresses, in accordance with
IS456:2000 is used. Where the calculated shear
stresses in concrete above exceeds the
permissible values , reinforcement acting in
conjunction with diagonal compression in
concrete shall be provided to take the whole of
the shear.

2
3
4
5

Stresses due to dry shrinkage or temperature

change
6
Stresses due to drying shrinkage or
temperature change may be ignored provided
that adequate precautions are taken to avoid
cracking of concrete during the construction
period and until the reservoir is put into use.
The recommendations as regards the
provisions of joints and for the suitable sliding
layer are complied with, or the reservoir is to be
used only for the storage of water or aqueous
liquids at or near ambient temperature and the
circumstances are such that the concrete will
never dry out.

METTUR
WATER
TREATMEN
T PLANT
Cascade

FROM
THIS
PROJEC
T
Cascade

4 Nos.
1450 rpm

9 Nos.
1450 rpm

60 m
348 m/hr.

60 m
783 m/hr.

60%

75%

IV. STRESS DIAGRAMS

Permissible stress in steel reinforcement for

resistance to cracking
When the steel and concrete are
assumed to act together for checking the tensile
stresses in concrete for avoidance of cracking
the tensile stresses in steel is limited by the
requirement that the permissible tensile stress in
concrete is not to exceed so that tensile stress in
steel is equal to product of modular ratio of steel

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Figure 4 Stress contour for Mx

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National Conference on Research Advances in Communication, Computation, Electrical Science and

Structures (NCRACCESS-2015)

Figure 5 Stress contour for

My

of increasing the steps or trays in cascade aerator

for decreasing the usage of alum in treatment
process. At present in Mettur water treatment
plant, the water treatment capacity is 348 m/hr&
the purity rate is about 60%. From our project it
is expected to obtain the water treatment
capacity on 783 m/hr& the purity rate in about
75%. Here we analyzed and designed a Cascade
Aerator for Mettur water treatment plant having
a height of 21.6m using Staad Pro v8i and Auto
Cad 2010 respectively. The elements of the
aerator such as top and bottom ring beams, slab,
column, plinth beams, footing &foundation are
designed.M25 and Fe415 have been used to
design all the components of the aerator.
REFERENCES

The Staad 3D model is shown below and

1.

analyzed

2.

3.
4.

5.
6.
7.

Baruth EE (Ed.) Mc Graw Hill, AWWA ASCE

Water Treatment Plant Design, 4t Edition.
J. K. Edzwald, editor. New York: McGraw-Hill,
AWWA (2010b). Water Quality & Treatment: A
Handbook on Drinking Water, 6th Edition.
We collected some details from Mettur Water
Treatment Plant regarding our project.
Dr B.C.Punmia, AshokKumar Jain, Arun Kumar
Jain, IS 456-2000 & IS 456-1978 Design aids for
Reinforced
concreteR.C.C.
Designs
(Reinforcedconcrete structures),
N.Krishnaraju, Design of Reinforced concrete
structures.
S.K.Garg on Types of Aerators-Water supply
Engineering.
Dr.FahidRabah-Environment Engineering, Water
Treatement.

General design requirements according to the Indian

standards, code of practice
1. IS 875 (Part -I, Part-II, Part-III)-Wind & Seismic
Loads
2. IS 1893 (Part 1) : 2002-Earthquake Resistant
Structures
3. I.S 496:2000, Plain and Reinforced
4. SP-16,Design aids for RC to IS 456-2000
5. I.S 3373 (Part II, Part-III and Part IV-1967)

Figure 6 Deflection diagram

V. CONCLUSION
The Design of Cascade Aerator for
Mettur water treatment plant has been done
successfully. The calculations we have done
using working stress method are within safe
limits. In our project we introducing a new logic

ISSN: 2348 8352

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