MARINETTE, WI

Inclined Plate Settler Clarification

Regional Developments

Spring Regional Meetings

April 17 - Ann Arbor & April 18 - Kalamazoo
April 24 - Mt. Pleasant & April 25 - Gaylord

Thomas P. Grubb
Meurer Research
6270 Joyce Drive
Golden, CO 80403
 Plate Settler System Components
EFFLUENT TROUGHS
SLUDGE COLLECTOR DRIVE FLOW CONTROL DECKS

LEVELING WEIR

STAINLESS STEEL SUPPORT BEAM

 HISTORY OF PLATE SETTLERS

1886 - English Patent

1904 - Hazen’s Theory of Sedimentation
1936 - Plate Settlers Used in Mining Industry
1946 - Camp’s Shallow Depth Sedimentation Theory
1993 - MRI Top Tube Plate Settler Design
Theory behind High Rate Clarification

Multi-Sectional Settling Tanks developed

to minimize short circuiting
and
maximize flow distribution

Camp’s Shallow Depth

Sedimentation Theory
 Tube Settlers
Flow Distribution

3 ft Tubes: Louisville, CO
Square btm trough, submerged orifices

3 ft Tube Settlers: Bloomington, IN

Inlet baffle directing flow under tubes
Circular thickener sludge collection

2 ft Tubes: Ft. Thomas WTP, KY

V-notch troughs 3’ above tubes
 MIXERS /
FLOCCULATORS
 Flocculation
Proper floc formation is key to settling

• Vertical impeller mixers: rapid or flash mix for pH adjustment, oxidant and
coagulant addition using high particle collisions

• Paddle wheels: medium mixing energy for floc formation, maturation/growth

and contaminant adsorption

• Hydraulic mixing: reduce hydraulic energy & distribute flow across basin width

Vertical turbine mixers

Paddle wheel mixers
 Flocculation
Tapered Flocculation for Optimum Contaminant Removal

Flash Mix Stage One Stage Two Stage Three Stage Four:
Hydraulic Mixer

Vertical Turbine Flocculators Inlet Diffuser

Horizontal Paddle Wheel Flocculators

 Flocculation
Progressively Lower G-Values form a settlable floc
1000’s 100’s 80 60 40 20 10 0

Rapid Mix

Vertical
Turbine

Paddle
Wheel

Hydraulic
 Flocculation
Configuration - Flow Control to Minimize Short Circuiting

•Over Under Baffling •Serpentine Flow

•Ported Baffle Walls •Full Width Distribution
 WYOMING, MI
INLET DIFUSERS REDIRECT
FLOW ACROSS BASIN WIDTH
and
REDUCE FLOC SHEAR
PLATE SETTLERS
Advantages of Plate Settlers

T-304 stainless steel lasts indefinitely

No power is required
No pumps, valves or blowers
No moving parts
Very low maintenance
Small Footprint Clarification Process
 Advantages of Plate Settlers
12MGD Footprint Comparison

Conventional Sedimentation
0.5 gpm/ft2 SOR
80’ x 208’

Plate Settler
0.3 gpm/ft2
40’ x 50’

Lower cost of land, construction & building. Less space to maintain & smaller building size.
 HOW
PLATE SETTLERS
WORK
 How Plate Settlers Work
Falling particle sees Flow
the “projected area”
of each Plate Distribution
Stable Laminar Flow
Low Reynolds #
&
High Froudes #

Projected plate area overlap

Results – plate settler basin is 1/10th that of conventional basin

 How Plate Settlers Work
The settling distance is reduced by 98%, 3.5” compared to 15’ in a conventional basin
Particles migrate to the plate surface along the resultant vector of the two forces –
fluid drag (Fd) and gravity (Fg)

3.5"

Fg
Plate settlers provide a “perfect environment”
low velocities and no currents (Laminar flow)

 10’ plate length / 0.022 fps (¼”/sec) = 7.57 minutes residence time in plate
 Particle must fall 3.5” vertically in 7.57 minutes = 0.46 in/min plate settling rate
 15’ deep basin with 2 hr HRT, 180”/120 minutes = 1.5”/min conventional sedimentation basin settling rate

 0.5”/min in plate basin compared to 1.5”/min for the conventional basin

 How Plate Settlers Work
EFFLUENT COLLECTION ORIFICES

TOP TUBE SETTLING

ZONE

INLET
PORTS

SLUDGE ZONE, 10%

 How Plate Settlers Work
Flow Path Through Plate Settlers
1. Flow enters basin high up & 3. Top tube contains orifices which distribute
travels through inlet channel flow evenly across the plate

2. Flow enters plate settlers

through inlet ports and moves
up the plate
 Feed Channels

Plate
Cartridge

Flow Control
Decks

Cable-Vac
Sludge Collection

Stainless Steel Support Beam

 How Plate Settlers Work
The Search for Perfect Flow Distribution
The “Pinch Zone”, a Full-Width Plate Orifice
0.1000

0.0900

0.0800
Orifice width @ 4.5’L & 0.3 gpm/sf

+1/32" = 1" HL
0.0700

0.0600

-1/32" = 3" HL
0.0500

0.0400

0.0300

0.0200

4.5' W Plate Space =

0.0100 0.0340" to Achieve 2.0"
Design Head Loss Plate Spacing Orifice
0.0000
0.25 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

HEADLOSS (Inches)
 How Plate Settlers Work
Orifices Insure Even Distribution Across Entire Plate & Basin
PLATE SETTLER
CALCULATIONS
 Plate Settler Calculations
Sizing Calculation Example
Calculation for 10 MGD (6,944 GPM):

Choose the specific loading
rate. For example a standard
loading rate is 0.3 gpm/ft2
of effective plate area at
90% efficiency.
Divide the flow in gpm by the loading rate
•
• Flow = 6,944, Loading Rate = 0.3 gpm/ft²
6,944 gpm/0.3 gpm/ft² =23,147 ft² projected area

Divide the projected area by

• Efficiency = 90%, Projected Area = 23,147 ft²
the efficiency to get
effective projected settling 23,147/0.9 = 25,719 ft² effective projected area
area

Divide the effective • 4.5’W x 10’L plate @ 55o(cos55) x 0.9 = 23.23 ft²
projected settling area by Effective Projected Area Required = 23,147 ft²
the area of each plate to get •
# of plates • 25,719 / 23.23 = 1,107 plates
 FABRICATION
&
INSTALLATION
 PLATE SETTLER FABRICATION

Manufacture frames and supports

 PLATE SETTLER FABRICATION

Inclined Plates installed into frames @ 550

 PLATE SETTLER INSTALLATION

Load onto flatbed trucks for shipping

 PLATE SETTLER INSTALLATION

Install Beams & Crane Plate Cartridges into Position

 PLATE SETTLER INSTALLATION

Plate Cartridges are Secured to the Beams

PLATE SETTLER INSTALLATION

Troughs are Lowered into Position

 PLATE SETTLER INSTALLATION

Weirs are Leveled and Installation is Complete

 PLATE CLARIFICATION SYSTEM
Rapid Mix, Flocculation, Hydraulic Baffling, Plate Clarification and Sludge Removal

Frederick MD
INCLINED PLATE
SETTLER
INSTALLATIONS
BENTON HARBOR, MI
MUSKEGON, MI
SOUTH HAVEN, MI
WYOMING, MI
MARINETTE, WI
BENTON HARBOR, MI
BENTON HARBOR, MI
2010
2 Basins
12 MGD
40’L x 30’W x 15’D
0.3 gpm/sf @90%
 BENTON HARBOR, MI
15’L x 30’W x 15’WD
40 min@ 6 MGD
1st : 3 HP
2nd: 2 HP
3rd : 1 HP

Horizontal Reels
Ported Floc Baffle
 BENTON HARBOR, MI
G-Values, sec-1
1st : 70
2nd : 45
3rd : 20
4th : Hydraulic

Inlet Flow Diffusers

BENTON HARBOR, MI
4 Rows, 6 MGD
150 Plates/Row
600 Plates/Basin
5 Orifice/plate
 MUSKEGON, MI
Two (2) Basins
86’L x 50’W x 17.3’D
20 MGD/Basin Design
6 MGD/Basin Average
0.24 gpm/sf Loading
2-50 NTU Raw Water
 MUSKEGON, MI
2006
393 Plates/Row
2,358 Plates/Basin
9.55’L x 4.5’W Plates
6 Orifice/plate
 MUSKEGON, MI
3 Troughs/Basin
45’L x 24”W x 28” D
4,650 gpm Capacity each
MUSKEGON, MI
MUSKEGON, MI
MUSKEGON, MI
MUSKEGON, MI
 SOUTH HAVEN, MI
2009
2 Basins
29’L x 28’W
7 MGD, 9.7MGD Peak
0.3 gpm/sf @ 100%
 SOUTH HAVEN, MI
G-Values, sec-1 1st Stage 13.5’ L x 13.5’W
1st : 60 14.5’ WD
2nd : 40 32 min@ 3.5 MGD
3rd : 30 1st & 2nd: 2 HP
4th : 15 3rd & 4th: 1 HP

3rd Stage
4th Stage
 SOUTH HAVEN, MI
78 Plates/Cartridge
4 Cartridges/Basin
312 Plates, 4.5’ x 10’
 SOUTH HAVEN, MI
2 Troughs/Basin
18”W x 18”D
2,000 gpm/trough
6 Orifice/plate
SOUTH HAVEN, MI
Hoseless Cable-Vac™ Sludge Collector
¼ HP Reel-to-Reel Cable Drive
WYOMING, MI

Serpentine Flow
Horizontal Reel Flocculators
WYOMING, MI
2010
3 Basins
86’L x 64’W x 16’D
30 MGD/Basin
0.30 gpm/sf @ 80%
 WYOMING, MI

2009 - 2010
8 Rows of 4 Cartridges/Row
98 Plates/Cartridge = 3,136 Plates/Basin
8 Troughs/Basin, 22”W x 19”D x 85’L each
2,600 gpm capacity/trough
WYOMING, MI
MARINETTE, WI
2010
2 Basins
37’L x 22’W x 16’D
3.25 MGD/Basin
Expandable to 4.1 MGD
0.30 gpm/sf
8-100 NTU Raw Water
 MARINETTE, WI
1st Stage 2nd Stage 3rd Stage
70 sec-1 G, 1.5 HP 45 sec-1 G, 0.75 HP 20 sec-1 G, 0.5 HP

29 min. HRT @ 3.25 MGD

Coagulant: Sumalchlor 50 or AquaHawk 607, Chlorine @ 0.5 ppm average, 3-6 max
MARINETTE, WI
Sludge Collector Cable Drive

Future Plate Capacity

 MARINETTE, WI

Plate Support Beam

Hoseless Cable Driven Sludge Collector

Miramar WTP, San Diego, CA
Four 55 MGD Basins
220 MGD

Largest Stainless Steel Inclined

Plate Settler Installation in USA
Inclined Plate Settler Clarification
Regional Developments

THANK YOU
QUESTIONS?

Thomas P. Grubb
Meurer Research
6270 Joyce Drive
Golden, CO 80403