Equipment used for the preliminary unit operation treatment of water and wastewater.

1. Introduction:
Pretreatment or preliminary treatment intending to remove large and bulky solids, consequently
preconditioning of effluent takes place before the remainder of the treatment. In this stage, many
unit operations involve i.e. screening, comminution, sedimentation to remove grit, skimming,
and flow equalization[ CITATION Dio07 \l 1033 ]. The following table has been made to illustrate
the physical unit operation and their application:
Operation Application
1. Screening The screening method is applied to remove the settable and
coarse solids through surface straining
2. Comminution The grinding of all coarse solids takes place
3. Flow Equalization Flow equalization and mass loadings of BOD SS
4. Mixing It involves the mixing of gases and chemicals with WW and
keep solids in the suspension
5. Flocculation Promoting the smaller particles’ aggregation into the larger
ones
6. Sedimentation In this operation, settable solids are removed and sludge
become thickened
7. Flotation Finely divided suspended particles and solids are removed as
well as thickens biological sludge.
8. Filtration Fine residual suspended solids are remove remaining after
chemical or biological treatment
9. Micro screening It is similar to filtration but also remove the algae from
stabilization pond effluents.

2. Equipment Used in The Preliminary Unit Operation Treatment

The following equipment are used in the preliminary unit operation treatment of water and
wastewater.
1. Racks and Bar Screens
The above given figure shows the bars which is spaced usually between three-quarter inches to
six inches. These most frequently used bars provide very clear openings of around 1 to 2 inches.
Though, sometimes large screens are set vertically as well as screens are normally set at a point
of 45 to 60 degrees with the vertical. The approaching wastewater is gone through the screens or
bars and occasionally the collected material is eliminated. Moreover, it is important to clean
screens or racks either physically or by automatically operated rakes. The solids eliminated by
these units can be discarded by incineration or burial. The below figures show the typical design
information for mechanically cleaned bar racks and bar screens:
Furthermore, for the treatment of wastewater different types of screens are used such as:
 Coarse screen: It is helpful in removing of materials which damages subsequent process
equipment, minimize overall process of treatment, and contaminate waterways.
 Fine screen: it is used to protect all process equipment, remove materials which inhibit a
beneficial reuse of solids.

2. Comminuting Devices
Cutters, shredders, and Grinders, these are devices to cut up or break solids to such size so that
they can be gotten back to the wastewater without risk of clogging piping or pumps or
influencing ensuing treatment devices. They might be separate devices for grinding solids
eliminated by screens or a blend of screen and cutters introduced inside the wastewater flow
channel in such a way that the goal is achieved without really eliminating these bigger solids
from the wastewater. Such latter devices are made by various manufacturers under different
business trademarks and, by and large, comprise of fixed, rotating or oscillating teeth or blades,
acting together to decrease the solids to a size which will go through fixed or rotating screens or
grids having openings of around one-fourth inch. A portion of these devices are even intended to
work as a low-lift pump. However, numerous plants with comminuting devices create issues
inside subsequent treatment units because of a development of the shredded solids. This is
typically seen in aeration system of activated sludge plants. These shredded solids tend to clog
diffusers and cling to the impeller blades of mechanical aerators.
3. Grid Chamber
Wastewater typically contains a generally huge number of inorganic solids, for example, sand,
gravel, and cinders which also called coarseness. The total amount of solids present in the
wastewater relies principally upon whether the collecting sewer system is of the combined or
sanitary type. The grit will harm pumps through abrasion as well as generates operation
problems in sedimentation tanks and sludge digesters by accumulation around and plugging of
outlets and pump suctions. Subsequently, it is normal practice to eliminate this material by grid
chambers. Such grid chambers are generally situated in front of pumps or comminuting devices,
and if cleaned mechanically, should be gone before by coarse bar rack screens. Commonly, grid
chambers are planned as long channels. In these channels the velocity is diminished adequately
to in order to deposit inorganic solids (heavy) however to retain organic material in suspension.
Channel type chambers should be intended to give controlled velocities as close as conceivable
to 1.0 foot every second. It is noticed that velocities substantially more than 1.0 feet/second
cause excessive settling of organic materials with the grit. Here, the period of detention is
typically between 20 seconds to 1.0 mins. This is achieved by installing a few chambers in order
to accommodate variation in flow or by proportional weirs at the end of the chamber or other
flow control devices which permit regulation of flow velocity. Likewise, there are patented
devices to eliminate grid. One advancement is the infusion of air a few feet over the floor of a
tank type unit. The moving activity of the air keeps the lighter OM in suspension and permits the
grit moderately free from organic matter to be deposited in the quiescent zone beneath the zone
of air diffusion. Unreasonable amounts of air can make the roll velocity to be too high causing
poor removal of grid. Excessive quantities of air can cause the roll velocity to be too high
resulting in poor grit removal. Insufficient quantities of air result in low roll velocities and
excessive organic matter will settle with the grit. These grit chambers are usually called aerated
grit chambers.
In market, many types of grid chambers are available such as Macerators: Slow-speed grinders.
4. Cleaning

Grit chambers are designed to be cleaned manually or by mechanically operated devices. If

cleaned manually, storage space for the deposited grit is usually provided. Grit chambers for
plants treating wastes from combined sewers should have at least two hand-cleaned units or a
mechanically cleaned unit with by-pass. Mechanically cleaned grit chambers are recommended.
Single, hand-cleaned chambers with by-pass, are acceptable for small wastewater treatment
plants serving sanitary sewer systems. Chambers other than channel type are acceptable, if
provided with adequate and flexible controls for agitation and/or air supply devices and with grit
removal equipment. There are a number of mechanical cleaning units available which remove
grit be scrapers or buckets while the grit chamber is in normal operation. These require much
less grit storage space than manually operated units.
5. Flow Equalization

Basins (completely mixed type) after preliminary treatment to provide a relatively constant
flowrate to the subsequent treatment operations and processes. But also dampens the variation in
the conc. of BOD, SS, etc. There are two type of flow equalization:
a. In-line equal. basin > entire w.w. flow is pumped at a relatively constant rate > greater
dampening of the water quality
b. Side-line equal. basin > excess flow overflows to the equal. basin > when influent flow rate
becomes less than average, w.w. is pumped