FILTRATION OF WATER. —-~1! 8-1, GENERAL: The sedimentation tanks remove a large percentage of th suspended solids and organic matter present in raw water. th process of coagulation of water further assists in the removal y impurities present in the water. But even then, the resultant wate is not pure and may contain some very fine suspended partic, bacteria, etc. In order to remove or to reduce the contents of impurities still further, the water is filtered through the beds of fine granuls materials like sand. The process of passing the water through th beds of such granular materials is known as the filtration. The filtered water is potable and palatable and it is fe from various undesirable impurities like colour, odour, turbidity pathogenic bacteria, etc.i i tration In this chapter, the various aspects associated with the fi of water will be described in brief. 8-2, THEORY OF FILTRATION: ap 5 a The process of filtration forms the most important al the purification of water, It usually consists in ee pass through a thick layer of sand, It has been no! : ; followitt experience that during the process of filtration, the effects occur on water: : res (1) The suspended and Colloidal impurities which are 4 ge a in water in a finely divided state are removed t0 extent, (2) The chemical charac! (3) The number of reduced, d. teristics of water are ets e bacteria present in water is also ©art. 8-21 Filtration of Water The theory of filtration to explain wh - jg bused on the following four peraaihY Such effects take place (1) Mechanical straining 2) Sedimentation 201 (3) Biological metabolism (4) Electrolytic changes. (1) Mechanical straining: The suspended particles which are unable to pass through the voids of sand grains are arrested and removed by the action of mechanical straining. (2) Sedimentation: The voids between sand grains of filter act more or less like small sedimentation tanks. The particles of impurities, arrested in these voids, adhere to the particles of sand grains mainly for the following two reasons: (i) due to the presence of a gelatinous film or coating developed on sand grains by previously caught bacteria and colloidal matter; (i) due to the physical attraction between the two particles of matter. Thus the suspended impurities are removed by filter by the action of sedimentation.(3) Biological metabolism: The growth and life process of the living cells is known as the biological metabolism and the action of filter is explained on the basis of biological metabolism. When bacteria are caught in the voids of sand grains, a zoological jelly or film is formed around the sand grains. This film contains large colonies of living bacteria. The bacteria feed on the organic impurities contained in water. They convert such impurities into harmless compounds by the complex biochemical reactions. (4) Electrolytic changes: The action of filter is also explained by the ionic theory. It states that when two substances with opposite electric charges are brought into contact with each other, the electric charges are neutralised and in doing so, new chemical substances are formed. It is observed that some of the sand grains of filter are charged with electricity of some polarity. Hence, when particles Of suspended and dissolved matter containing electricity of opposite polarity come into contact with such sand grains, they neutralise ach other and it ultimately results in the alteration of chemical Characteristics of water. After some interval of time, the eo Power of sand grains gets exhausted. At that time, ‘% Toocti necessary to clean the filter_and restore it with this property202 water Supply and Sanitary Engineering t 8-3. FILTER SAND: Shy The cand to be used for filter should be free from ¢, organic impurities, etc. It should also be loam The filter sand Uniform, H it vegetable matter, classified on th e basis 9 in nature and size. eifective size and uniformity coefficient. The effective size of sand indicates the size of sieve j through which 10% of the sample of sand by weight io Pass “The uniformity coefficient of sand is the ratio of sieve si mm through which 60% of the sample of sand by eigen pass to the effective size of sand. For instance, su ight wil Pective size of a sample of sand is 0.50 mm. If 60% oft from the same sample passes through 0.60 mm sieve, the ween iy 1 0.60 fi f = 9:89 = 1.20. coefficient will be = ggg = 1:20 The anthrafilt is sometimes used instead of sand. It is from anthracite which is a stone-coal that burns nearly ae flame or smoke. It almost entirely consists of carbon. This mat i rae ot enetscess many advantages such as low cost in handing high rate of filtration, durability, better efficiency, etc. But as sa is fteadily available, the usual practice is to recommend tel g sand for filters.8-4. CLASSIFICATION OF FILTERS: The filters are classified into the following two categories: (1) Slow sand filters (2) Rapid sand filters. The rapid sand filters are further sub-divided into the following two categories: (1) Gravity type rapid sand filter (2) Pressure type rapid sand filter. The above classification is based on the rate of fie On the consideration of gravity and pressure, the filters may classified as follows: Filters Gravity filters pressure fites Slow sand filters Rapid sand filtersat. 831 ration of Water 203 Combining the above two classification: Bee ines | opeatol acest ications, we will study the (1) Slow sand filters (2) Rapid sand filters (gravity type) @) Pressure filters, We will now discuss the above three types of filters in detail. g-5. SLOW SAND FILTERS: (1) Purpose: In case of slow sand filtration, the water is allowed to pass slowly through a layer of sand placed above the base material and thus the purification process aims at simultaneously improving the biological, chemical and physical characteristics of water. The slow sand filtration is very well suited for rural areas in developing countries because of its simple operation and maintenance procedures. It thus provides safe drinking water at low recurrent cost. (2) Essential parts: A slow sand filter consists of the following five parts: @ Enclosure tank i) Underdrainage system (iii) Base material (iv) Filter media of sand () Appurtenances.i) Enclosure tank: A watertight tank is constructed either in stone masonry or brick masonry. The sides and floor are also coated with waterproof material. The bed slope is about 1 in 100 to 1 in 200 towards the central drain. The depth of tank is about 2.50 m to 3.50 m. The surface area of a slow sand filter may vary from 30 m2 to 2000 m2 or even more. (i) Underdrainage system: The underdrainage system consists lateral drains as shown in fig. 8-1. of a central drain and The lateral drains are placed at a distance of about 2.50 m to 3.50 m and they are stopped at a distance of about 300 mm to 800 mm from walls of the tank, The drains may be of pipes which are laid with open joints or they may consist of patented drain devices. The lateral drains can also be formed by placing two rows of bricks at right angles to each other. The first layer of bricks is laid with the direction of its rows Perpendicular to the central drain. The bricks in this layer are placed about 25 mm to 40 mm apart. This space actswater Supply and sanitary Engineering -s The second layer is placed wj lateral drains. TI With | i right angles to the first layer and the bricks TO, jayer are closely spaced. ing — Inlet chamber Outlet chamber — 204 . | “Lateral drains Plan of slow sand filter Fic. 8-1(iii) Base material: The base material is gravel and it is placed on the top of underdrainage system. Its depth varies from 300 mm to 750 mm. It is usually graded and laid i layers of 150 mm. The topmost layer should be of small size gravel and the lowest layer should be of bigger siz gravel. Following is a typical section of base material: Topmost layer 150mm depth — size 3mm to 6mm Intermediate { 150mm depth — size 6 mm to 20mm layers: 150 mm depth — size 20 mm to 40mm Lowest layer 150 mm depth — size 40 mm to 65mm Total 600 mm depth (i) Filter media of sand: A layer of sand is placed abow gravel. The depth of sand layer varies from 600 mm 900 mm. The effective size of sand varies from 0-20 ™ fo (0.30 mm and the uniformity coefficient of sand ahout 2 to 3. The finer the sand, the better will be * that ent Of filter regarding removal of bacteria. Bt oe oe the output from filter is lowered. qpPyrtenances: The various appurtenances are to be air pipe pascint, Working of slow sand filters. Such pipes hae through layer of sand may b' The devices ‘uP iP Proper functioning of filtering | Measuring loss of head, for Com! bove sand layer and for maintaini™ filter are to be suitably installedan. 851 Filtration of Water 205 In order to maintain a constant discharge through the filter, an adjustable telescopic tube as shown in fig. 8-2, usually adopted. The difference of water level between the filter tank and outlet chamber is known as the filter head and it is about 100 mm to 150 mm for freshly cleaned filter. It then goes on increasing as filter layers get clogged and the telescopic tube is adjusted by manual labour to maintain a uniform discharge. Outlet chamber “+ Filtering head + —}} Adjustable telescopic tube Gravel Floor: ‘Channel ‘Outlet for filtered water Cross-section through outlet chamber Fic. 8-2__ (3) Working and cleaning: The water is allowed to enter the filter through the inlet chamber. It descends through the filter media and during this process, it gets purified. It is then collected in the outlet chamber and taken to the clear water storage tanks. It is to be noted that the water should not be treated with Coagulants in sedimentation tanks. This is due to the fact that dirty skin formed by floc and carried to the filter considerably affects the economical working of the filter. The depth of water on filter is to be carefully decided. It should neither be too small nor too high. Generally it is kept as equal to the height of filter media of sand. The slow sand filters are usually worked for a maximum filtration head of 750 mm or so. But from the view point of Safety, the maximum filtration head desired is obtained by ultiplying the depth of filtering sand with a factor of 0.67 to fihes Thus, when specified limit of filtration head is reached, the ter requires cleaning.water $upplY and Sanitary Engineering a ing, the top layer of tay, e of cleaning, Of sand jg | riemugh 2 depth of about 15 mm to 95° Scra ed aamitted £0 the filter. But the purified ya” Th nen mi the formation of film around Bate is at taken ito yy require a period of about one or pyr’ Br occurs. had been done for fy : ning of filter had b for a numb, %s When cleaning © titer media of sand is reduced. {n° ting the effective depth o r : maintain the efficiency of filter, a fresh layer of can ond . ‘ded sand is then added to the filter. At places °,™ depth of gra en a sept of ee shortage of filtering sand, the scraped sand qy"hte sere cleaning operations is washed and stored fo, izing f replacement. sl The interval between two successive cleanings dey Pends main, on the nature of impurities present in water to be treated antl on She Talering sand. It usually varies from 1 to 3 moan t (4) Rate of filtration: The rate of filtration for a . slow sand filter varies from 100 to 200 litres per hour of filter area. Rormal per mz(5) Efficiency of slow sand filters: The efficiency of slo sand filters is as follows: (@ Bacterial load: The slow sand filters are highly efficient in the removal of hacterial load from water. It is expected that they remove about 98 to 99 per cent of bacteria load from raw water and this percentage may be as high as 99.50 to 99.90 when pre-treatment has been given (0 the raw water. However, for complete removal of bacteria the disinfection is essential. Colour: The slow sand filters are less efficient in th Femoval of colour of raw water. It is estimated that the Tmove about 20 to 25 per cent colour of raw water tte a Turbidity: The slow sand filters can remove turbidity ihe extent of about 50 p.p.m. For water ha Beira idity tk i i a weebisty than 60 p.p.m., it is necessary to give Pr pre ppt Problem and bring down its turbidity below 50 P-P ani area of slo 1@ of 15000 id per day, Find the 2 population tres per hea Solution: hi Wien’ filters required for a tow? .° with an average rate of deman Maxi imum daily demand (15000 x 160 x 1-50 3600000 litres.Assuming 2 rate of filtration as 1 of fier area, 50 litres per hour per m? area of filter required = 3600% % Alter required = TSpsrag ~ 1000 m2 Let the size of one unit be 16.00 mos 12. tm % 12.50 m. Then provide 6 such units of slow sand filters including one nit ae atoneiy The units may be arranged in series witha cei a is on either sic RAPID SAND FILTERS (GRAVITY TYPE): (1) Purpose: The great disadvantage of a slow sand fiter is that it requites considerable space for its installation. This requterment makes it uneconomical for places where land. velues, are high. As seen in problem 1, the area required for slow sand fiter, only for a moderate town of 15000 population, works out to be 1000 m2 and with future expansion, other additional equipment, tte. the area required for water supply project would be about 3000 m? or 80. From coagulation eee Aiccompressor uit Water level wile ite ‘Water level wl Washing Boos San Gravel Tarr drains ~ Wash water pipe ‘Wash water dria To fitered water storage tank Lay r ind filter (gravity type) cof a typical rapid af of a typical rapidply and Sanitary Engineering 208 water Sup| This difficulty of requiring more space for slow : led the engineers nd scientists to find out means ee fi the rate of filtration. It was observed that the rate of inca’ can be increased in two ways: fit (by increasing the size of sand so that frictio Nt water passing through filter media is minimised. ; the (iy. by allowing the water to pass under pressure thr " filter media. TOURh the The former is and it is the most 7 water supply projects. The latter principle is aida ed in the working of pressure filters. lq achieved in rapid sand filters leas popular method of filtratior forsential parts: Fig. 8-3 shows the layout of a typical rapi cane eeee nti Pare: Hie consists of the following five. pans (Enclosure tank ) Filter media of sand ) Underdrainage system — (v) Appurtenances. (i) Base material @ Enclosure tank: A watertight tank is constructed either of masonry or concrete. The sides and floor are also Coated with waterproof material. The depth of tank is about 2.50 m to 3.50 m. The surface area of a unit of rapid sand filter varies from 10 m2 to 50 m?. The units are arranged in series. Underdrainage system: There are various forms of under drainage system of a rapid sand filter and most of them are patented by the manufacturers. Inlet chamber Outlet chamber : ( Jl n | reheh = Lateral drains Plan of underdrainage system Fic. 8-4at, 0-61 Filtration of Water 209 following are two common types of underdrainage systems: (a) Perforated pipe system (b) Pipe and strainer system. (a) Perforated pipe system: In this system, there is a central drain or manifold and to this manifold, the various lateral drains are attached as shown in fig. 8-4. The drains are <-> usually made of cast-iron. - * The lateral drains are Holes 10 mm tai placed at a distance of Perforated lateral drain about 150 mm to 300 mm. oie The lateral drains are provided with holes at the bottom side and such holes make an angle of 30° with the vertical as shown in fig. 8-5. The diameter of holes is about 10 mm and they are sometimes staggered on either side instead of being continuous. The holes are drilled at a centre to centre distance of about 75 mm to 200 mm.(b) In order to prevent the rusting of surfaces of holes, the brass bushings are sometimes inserted in the holes. For the support of the lateral drains, the concrete blocks of thickness about 40 mm to 50 mm are placed on the floor of filter. The perforated pipe system is economical and simple in operation. It however requires more quantity of wash-water. It requires about 700 litres of water per minute per m? of filter area for washing purpose. This is known as the high velocity wash and the wash-water is obtained from a wash-water overhead tank as shown in fig. 8-3. Pipe and strainer system: In this system also, there is a central drain or manifold with lateral drains attached on either side as shown in fig. 8-6. But in this system, the strainers are placed on lateral drains instead of drilling holes as in previous case. A strainer is a small pipe of brass. It is closed at top and contains holes on its surface as shown in fig. 8-7. The strainers are either screwed or fixed on the top of lateral drains.210 Water Supply and Sanitary Engineering teh, g There are various forms of strainers devised 5, different manufacturers of filter units. In some casey the strainers are even fixed on central drain. The laters| Grains as well as strainers are generally placed at distance of 150 mm to 300 mm. It is desirable 19 place all the strainers at the same elevation. ‘Strainers ‘Central drain Lateral drains Section of underdrainage system Strainer Fic. 8-6 Fic. 8-7 When pipe and strainer system is adopted, the compressed air is used for the purpose of washing the filter. This results in saving of wash-water. It requires about 250 litres of water per minute per m? of filter area for washing purpose. This is known as the low velocity wash.Following general rules should be observed in designing the underdrainage system: — (The ratio of length of lateral drain to its diam should not exceed 20. (ii) The cross sectional area of central drain heal about twice the cross sectional areas of lateral ; aid (iii) The total cross sectional areas of perforations s! a : be about 0.20 per cent of the total filter hs - (i) The cross sectional area of a lateral shoul faa about two to four times the total cross secti areas of perforations in it, f i e 0 () The perforations in the lateral drain should b diameter 6 mm to 12 mm. | drait () The spacing of perforations in the lateral fe should vary from 75 mm to 200 mm centre to Ce )Base material: 1 on the top of used for base dust, silt and at is place he base material is gravel and it is ' 10 underdrainage system, The gravel material should be clean vegetable matter. The gravel particles §wel Filtration of Water a4 be durable, hard, round and strong. Its depth varies from 450 mm to 600 mm. It is usually graded and laid in layers of 150 mm. The topmost layer should be of small size gravel and the lowest layer should be of big size gravel. Following is a typical section of base material: Topmost layer 150mm depth — size 3mm to 6mm Intermediate { 150 mm depth — size 6 mm to 12 mm layers 150 mm depth — size 12 mm to 20mm Lowest layer 150 mm depth — size 20 mm to 40 mm Total 600 mm depth (iv Filter media of sand: A layer of sand is placed above gravel. The depth of sand layer varies from 600 mm to 900 mm. The coarse sand is used as filter media. The effective size of sand varies from 0.35 mm to 0.60 mm and the uniformity coefficient of sand is between 1.20 to 1.70. Thus the space of voids between sand particles is reased and it results in the increased rate of filtration.() Appurtenances: In addition to the usual appurtenances required as in case of slow sand filters, the following special devices are to be provided in case of rapid sand filters: (a) Air compressors: The agitation of sand grains during washing of filters is carried out either by compressed air or by water jet or by mechanical rakes. When air is to be used, an air compressor of required capacity should be installed. Generally it should have the capacity of supplying compressed air at the rate of 0.60 to 0.80 m? per minute per m? of filter area for 5 minutes. The pressure of compressed air should be sufficient to ‘overcome the frictional resistance in air pipes and depth of water above air distribution system. The compressed air may be supplied through laterals or through a separate Pipe system. (0) Wash-water troughs: The dirty water after washing of filter is collected in wash-water troughs or gutters which are placed above sand bed level. The troughs may be of cast-iron, concrete, steel or wrought-iron. The troughs are placed at a distance of 1300 mm to 1800 mm edge to edge. The bottom of trough is about 450 mm to 750 mm above sand bed. For efficient working, the troughs should be large enough and they should be laid at suitable slope.ana Keay (oO Rate control: There are various devices which may fined at the outlet end of the filler to Control the gyre of flow, The popular device is the venturl rate contratiee it works on the principle of venturl mete (a) Working and cleaning: The working of a rapid grayy fitter can be understood by referring, to fig. 8-3. The numbed, placed near valves indicate the following: Valve 1 = Inlet valve, Valve 2. — Filtered water storage tank valve, Valve 3 = Waste-water valve to drain water from inlet chamber Valve 4 = Wash-water storage tank valve, Valve 5 = Wavte-water valve to drain water from main drain Valve 6 — Compressed air valv The valve 1 is opened and the water from coagulated sedimentation tank is allowed to enter the filter, The valve 2 opened to carry filtered water to the filtered water storage tank All other valves are kept in closed position, Thus, when filter is in working condition, only valves 1 and 2 are in open positionWhen the filter requires cleaning or washing, it is carried out as follows: (i) The valves 1 and 2 are closed. (i) The valves 4 and 6 are opencd out, The wash-water is then forced in the upward direction through the underdrainage system, base material and filter media of sand. The compressed air assists the cleaning process of filter (iid) The valve 6 is closed and the valve 3 is opened out to carty dirty water through inlet chamber to the wash-water drain (iv) When washing of filter is over, the valves 3 and 4 a closed and valves 1 and 5 are opened out. Thus, wher filter is put into use after washing, the filtered water if the beginning is led to the wash-water drain through main drain, This is) continued for few minutes condition the filter, ) The valve 5 is closed and the valve 2 is opened out put the filter in the normal working condition. dina tate of head and negative head: When water pa filter, it has to resist the frictional resistance: therefore loses some of its head. Th 0 ome ad. The loss of head can easilY ware ed by Knowing the water level in the filter and pressule Mee et, the oullet pipe, The difference between the two he indicates the loss of head in filteran. 8-61 Filtration of Water 213 In the beginning, when the filter is cleaned, the loss of head is very small, about 150 mm to 300 mm. The loss of head then radually goes on increasing. The loss of head can be measured fy inserting piezometer tubes in filter as shown in fig. 8-8. The difference of water level in two tubes indicates the loss of head. Piezometer tubes | Sand 255 Gravel = Underdrainage system bom) — — — —| : cee Outlet pipe — Negative head Loss of head and negative head Fic. 8-8A stage then comes when frictional resistance offered by filter media exceeds the static head of water above sand bed. This is developed due to the deposit of suspended matter in top layer of about 100 mm to 150 mm thickness. The lower portion then acts more or less like a vacuum and the water is sucked through the fier media rather than filtered through it. The fall of liquid level in the piezometer tube below the centre-line of underdrainage System indicates the negative head. The negative head thus formed tends to release dissolved ait and other gases present in water. The bubbles stick to the sand Brains and the working of filter is seriously disturbed. This pheno- Mena is known as the air binding as air binds the filter and stops S Working. The rate of filtration is consequently greatly reduced. 'n case of rapi i Ilowable loss of head is about id sand filters, the allowal 1 3.50 m ord the allowable negative head is about 1200 mm. he filter is to be washed when this limit of the allowable loss of #d has been reached. It is usually cleaned after 2 to 3 days. following two troubles are 5) Troubles i a Ben ubles in operation: od and filters a . "ally encountered in operating ©@ wi) @ Water Supply and Sanitary Engineering (ch. 9 Mud balls Cracking of filters. Mud balls: The mud balls are generally formed near the top of filter media. They may even be formed and distributed throughout the filter. The mud balls are caused due to insufficient washing of sand grains. The gelatinous film formed during filtration is not separated out from sang grains during washing. The mud balls interfere with the normal working of the filter and their size is about 25 mm to 50 mm Cracking of filters: The fine material contained in the top layer of filter shrinks and this shrinkage tends to form cracks in the filter. These cracks are prominent near wall junctions. To remove these troubles, the following remedies are adopted: (@) The mud balls are broken with the help of rakers or some such equipment. (b) The working of filter is carried out with high velocity of water. (©) The damaged portion of filter media is replaced.(6) Rate of filtration: The chief advantage of a rapid sand filter is that its rate of filtration is very high. It is about 3000 to 6000 litres per hour/m? of filter area. The high rate of filtration results in considerable saving of space for the installation of filter. (7) Efficiency of rapid sand filters: The efficiency of rapid sand filters is as follows: (@) Bacterial load: The rapid sand filters are less effective in the removal of bacterial load. It is expected that they remove about 80 to 90 per cent of bacterial impurity present in water. Gi) Colour: The rapid sand filters are highly efficient in colour removal and the intensity of colour can be brought down below 10 on cobalt scale. Turbidity: The rapid sand filters can remove turbidity to the extent of 35 to 40 p.p.m. As water entering rapid sand filter is invariably given the treatment in coagulation sedimentation tank, it possesses less turbidity. This turbidity is easily brought down to the permissible limits by rapi sand filters.at 86 Fiteation of Water me oblem 8 Fin oO ean wand filters required for a town having Jistation oF 80000 with ar averses ea ep or day We rate of demand ae 200 hires solution: Maximum daily demand (80000 x 200 x 1.50) = 24000000 titres. Assuming @ rate of filtration as 5000 litres per hour per m? of filter area, e re 24000000 5000 x 24 Let the size of one unit be 8 m x 5 m. Then provide 6 such unis of rapid sand filters including one unit as standby. The units may be arranged in series with 3 units on elther side. area of filter required 200 m?. Problem 8-3. ‘A rapid sand filter is required to treat a flow of 0.50 m per second. The filtration rate is 120 m3 per day per m? of filter trea and it is provided that the filtration rate with one filter washing Is not to exceed 150 m? per day per m? of filter area. Determine the number of units and the area of each unit to satisfy these conditions. Each filter is washed for 5 minutes every 24 hours at a wash rate of 10 mm per second per m? of filter area. The filter remains out of operation for a total interval of 30 minutes per day. Calculate the percentage of filter output used for washing. Solution: Maximum flow rate = (0.5 x 60 x 60 x 24) m3 per day = 43200 m? per day. Note: The rate of filtration can also be expressed as m? per day per m? Of filter area. because of the relation 1m? = 1000 litres. Thus 120 m? per day per m? of filter area is equivalent to (22x 1000 28 = Filter area on the basis) _ 4: maximum filtration rate! ~ Filter area on the basis} _ 43200 0 mi, ©f minimum filtration rate} “120, ~ 360 ™ Hence, maximum filter area = 360 m? 5000 litres per hour per m® of filter area, = 208 m2. :200 50a6 Water Supply and Sanitary Engineering. ten ‘Area of one filter unit = (360 - 288) = 72 m2 ‘ Maximum filter area ‘Area of one unit 360 =" 75 Total numbers of filters = Now, each unit of filter is working at the filtration rate 120 mn’ per day per m2 of filter area and the operation of fic is out of order for a period of 30 minutes. a Hence, the total working period per day of each filter is (24 = 0.5) = 23.5 hours. utput of ex Working per ouput of ech area x Filtration Rate x WOME pois 2 23s 24 (72 x 120 x 23:5 U 8460 m?. Wash rate = 10 mm per second per m? of filter area (10 x 10-3 x 60) m per minute per m? of filter area. Washing period = 5 minutes _ Wastewater teguted) yea x Wash rate Washing peri ped ay 72 x (10 x 103 x 60) x 5 216 m’. Percentage of filterout- | __ Wash- water required put used for washing |“ “Guipat af each unit * 100 216 - BS x 100 = 2.55%. 6-7. COMPARISON BETWEEN SLOW SAND FILTERS AND RAPID SAND FILTERS (GRAVITY TYPE): We have so far discussed at length slow sand filters at rapid sand fiers (gravity type) separately, In order to bring OH the points of differences between similar items of slow sand ‘ie and “rapid sand filters, is tabulated tn table 8-1wen Filtration of water a7 Taste a DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TWO TYPES OF FILTERS 3] tem Slow sand fiters | Rapid sand fiers N Teraity type) Base material of gravel ‘Coagulation Compactness Cost of operation Depreciation of plant Economy Efficiency Filter media of and Flexibility Loss of head Method of disaning. Period of cleaning | Rate of filtration Skilea Supervision Suttabiity, Varies from 3 to 65 mm in'size and’ 300 {0°750 mim indepth Not required Requires large, area femoval of bacteria Be saab Siar age is ates untae in“Gemand {50 me 70 mm Seapcg. Sh ae 1 to 3 months. 400 to 200 litres our per mf Not essential. The filter, can, be fgnstructed of local tes" suitable for mal {ovens and sillages ehere land’ is cheaply ivaiiable Raion eae ean a a its installation, Senate ts and constructed: area for Sconomieat WE Less efficient in the removal of bacteria But Fore eihcieat in: the Femoval of colour and Sorority, Efective size varies from SENS Qled"men ad about 172 t0 1-7 ite flexible for reaso- iets aeeteRons tn Semand 3'm to 3.50 m Agitation and.” back: sens Faith or without Sir, Shore and speedy method. Pto 3 days 44000 to 6009 liters per hour perme of tier Eseential. It is. suitable for i Eltgs Where land, coat In detnand of water 13 Considerable.218 Water Supply and Sanitary Engineering i; ha 8-8. PRESSURE FILTERS: These filters are more Or less similar to the rapid sand filter, (gravity type) except with the following differences: Ss (1) Meaning of the term — pressure filter: The term pressy filter does not indicate that the water is pumped through rl filter under a high pressure loss. But it indicates that a filter : enclosed in space and the water passes under pressure gene than atmospheric pressure. This pressure can be developed by pumping and it may vary from 0.3 to 0.7 N/mm?, Y (2) Construction: The pressure filters are closed steel cylinders either riveted or welded. They may be of horizontal type as shown in fig. 8-9 or of vertical type as shown in fig. 8-10. The diameter of pressure filters varies from 1.50 m to 3.00 m and their length or height varies from 3.50 m to 8.00 m. The manholes are provided at top for inspection.Inlet valve for fae oe me Water ——- i Sand ‘ q Gavel ) oe , . + To wash So a 7 lateral drains To fitered water storage tank -Inlet valve for wash water Pressure filter — horizontal type Fic. 8-9 (3) Working: The water mixed with coagulant is directly admitted to the pressure filter. Thus the flocculation takes place inside Pressure filter itself. In normal working condition, all valves closed except those for raw water and filtered water. The “4 is admitted through inlet and after it is filtered, it is collected |" the central drain and conveyed to the filtered water storage {2 Cleaning: The compressed air may be used to 8g sand grains. The valves for raw water and filtered water ait closed position and those for wash-water and wash-watel 2, are in open posi iFiltration of Water 219 ning of pressure filters may i 'Y be required more frequently. pressure filters are available in which washing of ig done automatically at a predetermined interval of time or fite ‘i f head. tae Inlet valve for Manhole raw water, To wash water drain ee — Concrete filling wash water | Central drain with c ateral drains To filtered water lateral dr storage tank ; Pressure filter — vertical type Fic. 8-10(6) Rate of filtration: The rate of filtration of pressure filters 's high as compared to that of rapid sand filters. It is about 6000 to 15000 litres per hour per m? of filter area as compared ‘0 that of 3000 to 6000 litres per hour per m? of rapid sand filters. (6) Efficiency: The pressure filters are found to be less efficient ‘han the rapid sand filters in terms of bacterial load, colour and luridity, a) Suitability: The pressure filters are not suitable for public spe SUPPIY projects. But they can be installed for small water Pol projects such as colonies of a few houses, industrial plants, ® estates, swimming pools, railway stations, etc. inal Advantages: The advantages of the pressure filters can be Merated as follows: : dern automatic pressure These ar , i e com nits and the mo! a resigned way that it does not fier unit is designed in such a wa i i ision. {i “ire manual operation or supervisi These filters are flexible in operation because the rate of iltration can be altered by changing the compressed’ 2 Pressure,water Supply and Sanitary Engineering Ich, (iii) They do not require further pumping as the filtered y,. tomes out under pressure: er {yy They prove to be ideal for small estates. (They require less number of fittings. (They require very small space for their installation, (viiy When these filters are employed, the sediment, coagulant tanks are not required: (9) Disadvantages: The pressure filters possess the follo disadvantages: Win, {) It becomes difficult to keep close watch on the perform, of these filters because the process of filtration and ro washing are done in the closed tank. ack It is difficult to repair these filters. The overall capacity of these filters is small. They are costly and hence, they cannot b for treating large quantity otvater ommended () They possess poor efficien and turbidity. p ciency in the removal of bacteria (vi) They require additional i They req itional pumps for pumping the water in 220 Nang8-9. DOUBLE FILTRATION: Sometimes the water is filtered twice to achieve better results. This is known as the double filtration and it may be carried out in different ways as follows: (1) The water is allowed to pass through two or more slow sand filters arranged one after the other. The water is allowed to pass through two or more rapid sand filters arranged one after the other. The water is allowed to pass through a rapid sand filter before it is sent to a slow sand filter. incr Practice, the last alternative is most commonly adopted t0 increase the rat fil @) 3) in such a case is known as a roughing filter. The coarse materials nstruction of a roughing ai sequently, Itration is as high as 7000 litres hot require ine, Of filter area. The roughing filters generally ee ‘ated with the coagulant. J e double filtrati i inatl i above, is adopted ust” especially of last combination as sta places where |. i instal of slow sand filters is restricted o instanton of filters practically its rate of fil of