JAR TESTING

Tina Lafleur
The jar test is intended to simulate the coagulation/flocculation process in a water
treatment plant. The results that it produces are used to help optimize the performance of
the plant.
The procedure for a jar test is as follows:
1. Using a 1,000 mL graduated cylinder, add 1,000 mL of raw water to be coagulated to each of
the jar test beakers.
. Using a prepared coagulant stock solution !"lum#, dose each beaker with increasing amounts
of solution.
$ere%s an e&ample for dosing the beakers:
Jar
#
mL Alum
Stock
Added
mg\L
Alum
osage
1 0.' '.0
1.0 10.0
( 1.' 1'.0
) .0 0.0
' .' '.0
* (.0 (0.0
(.
There can be anywhere from ) to * beakers for this test, the abo+e chart should be modified to
reflect the correct amount of beakers and reflect the dosages re,uired for a specific plant.
$ere%s a picture of what a jar testing apparatus might look like.

). "fter dosing each beaker, it is time to turn on the stirrers. This part of the procedure should
reflect the actual conditions of the specific plant.
-or e&ample, let%s say the plant has a static mi&er following chemical addition, followed by ('
minutes in a flocculator, then 1.' hours of settling time before the filters. The jar test would be
performed as follows:
.perate the stirrers at a high /01 for 1 minute to simulate the static mi&er. Then reduce the
speed of the stirrers to match the conditions in the flocculator and allow them to operate for ('
minutes. .bser+e the floc formation periodically during the (' minutes. "t the end of the ('
minutes turn off the stirrers and allow settling. 1ost of the settling will be complete after 1
hour.
'. 2e&t, look at the beakers and determine which one has the best results !if any#. "n underfeed
will cause the sample to look cloudy with little or no floc and almost no settling. "n o+erfeed
will cause a dense fluffy floc to occur and will not settle well. The beaker with an appropriate
dosage of coagulant will ha+e floc that has settled to the bottom and the water abo+e it will be
clear.
3f none of the beakers appear to ha+e good results then the procedure should be run again using
different dosages until the correct dosage is determined.