DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL, ENVIRONMENTAL and GEOMATIC ENGINEERING

WATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT

(CEGE0022)

SAND FILTRATION – Part 2

DR LUIZA C. CAMPOS
 Learning Outcomes

•to understand the backwashing process

• to be able to identify a fluidised bed
• to be able to calculate the fluidisation velocity
• to be able to calculate head loss in an expanded filter bed

Watch these videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdN3g85zfzM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31ZUXx6NXDA
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 Backwashing

Rapid gravity, granular media filters need regular

backwashing to remove clogging deposits and maintain
efficient operation.

Backwashing of a gravity filter involves upward flow to

dislodge the deposits that have accumulated during
filtration and flush them away.

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 Filter backwashing

(1) Start with air

(2) Air + water

(3) Air + water (4) Wash water flow time 10 min

Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whwEBxqa3yU

 Backwashing

Backwashing fluidises the bed Area,a

Fluidised bed:
solid particles/grains suspended by
fluidising medium, e.g. gas or liquid
when grains in equilibrium
sand
upward force = downward force

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Backwashing

Downward force = weight of grains in water

FD  ALe 1   e  s   g (7)

A : X-sectional area
Le : Expanded depth of bed
e : porosity of expanded bed
s : density of grains

Upward force = pressure difference * area

Fup= ρgheA (8)

where he is the head loss

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 Backwashing
Equating the downward (Eq. 7) and upward (Eq. 8) forces gives

 Le 1   e  s   g
A
 ghe (9)

A
Rearranging gives an expression for the head loss gradient in a fluidised bed

1  e s    he (10) (Fair and Hatch, 1933)

 Le

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The head loss (hydraulic gradient) can also be given by the
Kozeny-Carman equation as
he u  1   e 2 36
5 (11)
Le g   e 3 ds 2

where ds is grain diameter, m is dynamic viscosity of water.

Equating Eq (10) and (11) gives
1  e  s   
5
u  1   e 2 36 (12)
 g  e3 ds2

which can be rearranged to give an expression for the

minimum fluidisation velocity, umf.
g s    e3ds2 (13)
umf 
180  1  e  8
 Expanded Depth of Bed
x
u 
Porosity of expanded bed can be related to settling velocity vt
 e    (14)
 vt 
Where x is an experimental value equal to 0.22

The volume of the sand in an unexpanded bed will equal the volume of sand in
an expanded bed

AL0 (1 - ε ) = A Le ( 1 - εe ) (15)

L1  0 
L e  L0
1  0 
(16)
Le 
0.22
(17)

1  e  u
1   
 vt 
Need to calculate terminal settling velocity
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Design Considerations

• Aim for expanded bed porosity of 0.6 to 0.7 (initial porosity

usually 0.4 for sand)
• Expanded depth 1.2 to 1.55 times original depth
• Ensure no loss of media

Minimum fluidisation velocity

• Calculate fluidisation velocity for each fraction
• Take maximum value
Bed Expansion
• Calculate expanded bed length for each fraction
• Add up values
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Exercise – bed expansion and fluidisation velocity
Data:
0 0.4
L 0.67 m
 0.85
K 5
ds 0.0004 m
 0.00102 Nms-2
vt 0.39 ms-1
 998.2 kgm-3
s 2650 kgm-3
g 9.81ms-2
e 0.65

Calculate the minimum fluidisation velocity and using Fair-Hatch equation

calculate the expanded depth of bed ?

g s    e3ds2 umf = 0.011 ms-1

umf 
180  1  e  = 39.6 mh-1

௢ ଴
௘ Le=1.14m
௘ 11
Head loss in expanded bed
Consider the simplest case of a single media filter.
Equation 10 gives us the head loss gradient in the fluidised bed as
1   e  s     h e (10)
 Le
If we want to know the backwash head loss, we need to eliminate Le
and e from the equation, as they are not known and not easily
measured.

We know that in the fluidised bed the total volume of solids is unchanged

L e  L0
1  0 
1  e  (16)

So we can substitute Le in Equation 10 using Equation 16 and we get

௦
௘ ଴ (18)
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For a typical filter sand we know that the voidage, 0 = 0.4 and the
density, s=2650 kg/m3 , so we can put these values into the
equation 18
 = 1000 kgm-3

0.6 x1650 xL
h
1000
 h  Lo

where the head loss is measured in m of water and the bed depth
is also in m.

Note: this is a very useful thing to remember for sand filters. But,
please remember it only applies to sand, as the figures we plugged
into the equation were for sand only
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 Acknowledgement

Part of these lectures was taken from the lectures of Dr R.

Mackie (University of Dundee) and Professor Caroline
Fitzpatrick (UCL).

References
Qasim et al. 2000 Water works engineering – planning, design & operation.

Casey, T.J. 1997 Unit treatment processes in water and wastewater engineering

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