7

PRELIMINARY UNIT OPERATIONS

Preliminary treatments may be required to remove impurities to make the water or WW more amenable to subsequent
treatments.

Water Treatment
• Surface waters, screening, presedimentation, aeration, adsorption, and prechlorination
• Groundwaters, preliminary treatment such as aeration may be required.

Screening
• Coarse bar racks and fine traveling racks are employed at intake structures to prevent the entry of large debris
• Coarse bar screen racks have clear spaces up to 7.5 cm between bars.
• A trolley and hoist must be provided to remove large objects

• Fine traveling screens located behind the bar racks Figure 7.1, usually have openings of 10 to 13 mm.
• Used to prevent the entry of small debris, sticks, bark, leaves, and fish.

Pre sedimentation
• Surface waters can have high turbidities and coliform counts that require presedimentation.
• Two types of presedimentation are usually used.
1. River waters, low to moderate turbidities and coliform counts but during high rainfall intensities, have high
values.
2. River waters consistently having high turbidities and coliform counts.

Type 1 requires plain sedimentation in reinforced concrete tanks with sludge rakes for sludge removal.
Or Reinforced concrete tanks with steeply sloped, hopper-shaped bottoms and gravity sludge removal have been used.
• May be circular, rectangular, or square in plan view.
•
Detention time for these basins is from 0.5 to 1.0 hour, and an overflow rate 40.7 to 122 m3/day-m2
 • Recommended for river waters having turbidities upto 10,000 turbidity units,
• Turbidity removals from 65 to 80%.

Type 2 requires plain sedimentation in basins having extremely long HRT 30 to 60 days
For turbidities greater than 10,000 turbidity units coliform, count greater than 5000/100mf.
[Mississippi Rive 10,000 to 40,000 TU, coliforms > 5000/100ml].
Constructed of earthen dikes, and may or may not have continuous sludge removal facilities.
Include slope protection (reinforced concrete slabs or riprap, such as crushed stone, to avoid erosion and unwanted
growths of aquatic plants, which could cause tastes and odor problems.
Purification occurs by sedimentation and by action of ultraviolet light in the sun's rays.
Removal of 80 to 90% of bacteria and viruses after 30 days' storage .

Aeration of GroundWater
Aeration for degasification of unwanted gases, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, and iron and manganese.
Aeration is accomplished by cascades, multiple -tray aerators, spray nozzles, or diffused compressed air tanks.

Cascade Flight of three or four concrete or metal steps over which the water tumbles as a thin sheet.
• Metal cascades may have low weirs at the periphery of the steps.
• Little use in removing odors due to algae but reduce the CO2 by 20 to 45%
• Head required is from 0.9 to 3 m.
• Placed in a screened enclosure to prevent entry of birds and insects.

Multiple -tray aerator series of horizontal traps, each containing 200 to 300 mm of medium.
• Ceramic balls, slag, or stones 50 to 150 mm in diameter.
• Supported on a perforated plates.
• Usually three trays are used spaced 0.5 m apart.
• Water applied by a shallow pan with a perforated bottom above the top tray. Perforations 5-13 mm spaced 75 mm
on center. Or
• By spray nozzles spraying directly on the top tray.
• Hydraulic loading is 40 to 200L/min-m2
• Low hydraulic loadings and media 38 to 64 mm diameter used when gas is highly concentrated.
• Multiple-tray aerators should also be in screened enclosures.

Removal of carbon dioxide can be estimated using Eq 7.1

k is from 0.28 to 0.37 for CO2, the higher values being for good tray ventilation.

Flow regime in a cascade or multiple -tray aerator is similar to a series of completely mixed tanks in series.
 Example 7.1
Carbon Dioxide Removal
• Groundwater containing 8 mg/L of CO2 is to be degasified using a 3 tray multiple -tray aerator.
• Two tray aerators in parallel are to be used for flexibility in operation
• Design population is 5000 persons, and the maximum day demand is 570L/cap-d.
• k value is 0.33, and the hydraulic loading is 400 L/min-m2.

Determine:
1.CO2 content of the product water.
2.Size of the trays if L-W ratio is 2: 1.

Performance equation is

Thus

Spray nozzles for aeration require considerable head and so much space that housed enclosures are difficult.
• Operation in cold weather may be impossible.
• Carbon dioxide removal may be as high as 90% with pressure heads from 70 to 140 kilopascals.
• Water discharged per nozzle will depend upon the nozzle design and head used.
• Typical nozzle with a 24-mm orifice discharges about 265 L/min to a height of 2. 1 m at 70-kilopascals pressure.

Diffused compressed air tanks 2.7 to 4.6 m in depth, 3.0 to 9.0m width, and
• Length to provide a contact time of 5 to 30 min.
• Air supplied by ceramic diffusers placed on bottom of one wall to give a spiral roll to the water,
• Air flow is 0.037-1.50 m3/m3 of water
• Has a long contact time, eliminates freezing, and allows the unit to be used for mixing and flocculation at a rapid
sand filtration plant.

Adsorption
• Activated carbon (AC) is a universal adsorbent for halogens and organic compounds causing taste, odor, or color
problems in water.
 • AC is made from a variety of organic materials, ground fruit pits, coconut shells, or sawdust.
• Heated in a closed vessel to a high temperature and "activated" by injecting steam.
• Particles have a large surface-area-to-volume ratio, with slight positive and negative charges.
• Adsorb organic compounds having slightly polar charges, (nearly all organic compounds).
• Available as a powder or in granular form.

• At water filtration plants, powdered AC is added at the intake ahead of the chemical mixing basins.
• Adsorbs most taste, odor, or color causing organic compounds and is removed with the sludge from the settling
basins.
• It is not recovered and is disposed of with the sludge.

• Dosages range from 0.24 to 8.40 g/m3 (typically 1.20-1.80 g/m3).

• Required dosage is frequently determined by the threshold odor number.

Wastewater Treatment
Preliminary treatments may inclde screening or shredding, grit removal, flow equalization, quality equalization, and
neutralization.
All municipal WW, include screening or shredding and grit removal.

Screens and Shredders

• Used for removal or shredding of coarse solids (wood, plastics, and rags).
• All bar screens presently installed are mechanically cleaned.Figure 7.2
• Screened solids are dumped into a receptacle for storage prior to disposal.
• Mechanically cleaned screens, bar spacing is 12 to 38mm, set at a 45o-90o to the horizontal (60o typical).
• Cleaning rakes operated by a time clock or by floats that activate the drive motor when the head loss across the
screen is greater than about 50 mm.

Design considerations
• Approach channel should be straight for 0.6m ahead of the screen to give uniform flow across the screen,
• Approach velocity at least 0. 46 m/s to avoid grit deposition.
• Velocity through the bars should be less than 0.62 m/s at design flow and not more than 0.91 m/s at maximum
flow.
• Include minimum of two screens for flexibility.
• Stop gate provided ahead of and behind each screen so that the unit may be dewatered for maintenance.
Head loss through bar screens determined by Eq.7.2

h L = head loss, m
Va = approach velocity, m/s
Vb = velocity through the bar openings, m/s
g = acceleration due to gravity

Example:Bar Screen

Mechanical bar screen is to be used in an approach channel with a maximum velocity of 0.64m/s.
Bars are 10mm thick, and the openings are 30 mm wide.

Determine:
1. Velocity between the bars.
2. Head loss in meters.

-Assume W is channel width and D the channel depth.

-Net area is (W)(D)[30/(30 + 10)] or 0.75WD.
-Channel area is WD, so using the continuity equation for flow gives

Shredding (Comminutors)
• Shredding coarse solids reduces their size so they can removed by downstream operations, (primary clarification)
• Accomplished by grinders, barminutors, and comminutors.

Grinders shred solids removed by a mechanically cleaned bar screen, and returns them to the wastewater flow
downstream from the screen.
Barminutor is a bar screen with a shredder that moves up and down the screen.
• Rotating blades pass through the bar spaces, cutting accumulated coarse solids.
Comminutor, (Figure 7.3), consists of a rotating slotted cylinder through which the entire wastewater flow passes.
• Solids too large to pass through the slots are cut by blades as the cylinder rotates,
 • Reduces the size until they pass through the slot openings.
• Figure 7.4 comminutor installation employing two units, which provides for flexibility.
• Note stop gates for maintenance

Grit Removal Tanks

• Grit removal is usually limited to municipal wastewaters

• Grit consists for the most part of sand and silt particles (s.g. 2.4) that enter by infiltration, egg shells, bone chips,
• Removed to prevent wear on pumps; accumulations in aeration tanks, clarifiers, and digesters; and the clogging of
sludge piping.
• Done by horizontal-velocity settling chambers, diffused air chambers, and square settling chambers.

Grit Production at WWTP

Grit removed can be from 4 to 200 m3 per million cubic meters WW treated.
Typical value is 15 m3 per million cubic meters WW treated.
Grit usually disposed of by burial or sanitary landfill.

Aerated grit chambers may be rectangular, Figures 7.13, 7.14, or square, Figure 7.15, or circular.

• Rectangular tanks are for medium to large sized plants,

• Square and round tanks for small to medium sized plants.

• Rectangular aerated grit chambers the flow has a spiral or helical roll due to the flow entering at one end of the
tank and due to the air rising from the diffusers along one wall.
• Grit has two to three helical rolls at peak flow, as they pass through the length of the tank.

• Velocity of roll governs the size of the particles of a given specific gravity that will be removed.
• Velocity low, organic particles will be removed along with the grit.
• Air flowrate is adjustable, and once it is properly adjusted, almost 100% of the grit will be removed and it will be
well washed.
Grit removal
• Figure 7.13,settled grit is removed by chain-driven buckets which rake the grit to the upstream end of the tank,
where it is lifted vertically and deposited into a storage receptacle.
• Figure 7.14, WW is introduced at the top of the chamber so that it is in the direction of the roll. The grit that moves
along the tank bottom collects in the hopper and is removed by scraper buckets to one end of the tank. From there
it is elevated by buckets, screw conveyors.
Aerated Grit Chamber Design Criteria

• Detention time is based on the peak flowrate, ranges from 2 to 5 min, and is usually 3 min.
• To determine head losses through tank, expansion in depth caused by air must be considered (about 75 mm).
• Flow regime in square or round aerated grit chambers is completely mixed flow and, in rectangular dispersed plug
flow.

Square Grit Chambers

• Square grit chambers, Figure 7.16, also use and two units for flexibility.
• Horizontal velocity at maximum flow is 0.30m/s, lower velocities at avg. flow
• Result is some organic solids are removed with the grit.

• Grit is raked to a sump, and there it is moved upward on an incline by rakes.

• As the solids are raked up the incline, organic solids are separated by washing and flow back to the basin,
• A cleaner grit is produced.
• Flow regime in square grit tanks is dispersed plug flow.
 Example Aerated Grit Chamber

WWTP has average flow of 0.473 m3/s, and two aerated grit chambers, are to be designed.
One could be used should the other require temporary maintenance.
During normal operation, both chambers would be used. Each chamber is to be a rectangular tank with spiral-roll flow.
Peak flow is 2.29 times the average flow.
Tank W:D is 1.5:1, and L is 4.0 times W.
Determine:

1. The theoretical dimensions of the tanks, in meters, if the detention time is 3 min.
2. The total air flow in m3 /min, if 0.3 m3 /min per meter of tank length is to be provided.
Flow Equalization
Flow equalization (FE) to produce constant flow rate is applicable to municipal and industrial wastewaters and enhances
degree of treatment.
For new plant design, it will reduce the required size of the downstream treatment facilities
Not only does equalization dampen the daily variation in flowrate, it also dampens the variation in the concentration of
BOD5, suspended solids, toxics etc. throughout the day.
Flow regime in equalization basins is completely mixed flow.

FE basins, either in-line or side-line facilities.

In-line FE basin, shown in Figure 7.17(a),

• Entire wastewater flow is pumped via FE basin at a relatively constant rate to the downstream wastewater
treatment facilities.
• For in-line basins, approximately 10 to 20% of the BOD5 entering is stabilized in the basin
• In-line system provides greater dampening of the concentration of BOD5, suspended solids, etc than side-line
system.

Side -line FE basin, Figure 7.17(b),

• Only flow during the day that is in excess of the average hourly flow overflows to the equalization basin,
• When influent flowrate becomes less than the average flow, the wastewater is pumped from the basin to the
downstream treatments.

General Comments
• FE basins have a fluctuating water level, as they fill and empty as they deliver constant flow Figure 7.18,
• Aeration provided to keep the solids in suspension and maintain aerobic conditions.
• Fluctuating volume is from 10 to 25% of the average daily dry-weather flow and may be determined from a flow
hydrograph of the influent flow to the plant, Fig 7.19.
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