Credit Hours System – Faculty of Engineering – Cairo University

PBWN 201 – Spring 2023

Water & Wastewater Engineering

Part One: Water Engineering

Surface Water Purification Works (2)

Prof. Dr. Mona M. Galal
Professor of Sanitary & Environmental Engineering, Cairo University
Dr. Safwat Mahmoud, PMP®
Associate Professor of Sanitary & Environmental Engineering, Cairo University
Dr. Nagwan Gamal
Associate Professor of Sanitary & Environmental Engineering, Cairo University
 Flocculation
 Sedimentation

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Flocculation

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 Flocculation
Types of Flocculation Tanks:
1- Hydraulic flocculation:
• Baffle type mixing basins are examples of hydraulic
flocculation.
• Water flows by gravity and baffles are provided in the basins
which induce the required velocity gradients for achieving
floc formation.
• There are to types of hydraulic flocculation:
(a) Horizontal baffled flocculation
(b) Vertical baffled flocculation
Horizontal Baffled Flocculation Tank

PLAN

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Vertical Baffled Flocculation Tank

ELEVATION

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Horizontal Baffled Flocculation Tanks
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2- Mechanical Flocculation

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Paddle Wheel Flocculation system Read Only

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Read Only
Read Only
Mechanical Flocculation Tank

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 Flocculation tanks
• Mechanical flocculation tanks.
A. Design Criteria
• Detention time is from 20 ~ 40 min ( 30 min. in average)
• Dimensions (rectangular tanks)
d=2~3 m ,B=(1~2)*d , L=3~20 m, (i.e Vone max=360 m3)
B. Design Steps
• V= Q*T m3
• Number of tanks n = V/Vone max (n < 2)
• Assume d = 2.5 m, B =2*d  get L
• Take n tank of (L, B, d) water dimensions and (L, B,
[d+0.5m]) structural dimensions.
Example
A city has a design population of 100,000 capita and an average
annual water consumption 170 l/c/day. It is required to design the
flash mixing and rectangular flocculation tanks.

Solution:
Qd = (100,000*170*1.4*1.07)/(1000*24*60*60)
= 0.295 m3/sec
Solution (cont.)
• Flocculation tanks:
Vtot = Q*T  take T = 30 min
Vtotal = 531 m3
n flocculation =531/360 = 1.48 tanks
take n = 2 tanks
Then Vone= 265.5 = L*B*d
Assume d= 3 m, B = 2*d = 6m , L =14.75 ≈ 14.8 m
Take 2 tanks of (14.8, 6, 3) water dimensions and (14.8, 6,
[3+0.5]m) structural dimensions.
• Flash mixing:
Vtotal = Q*T  take T= 60 sec
Vtotal =17.7 m3
n is based on number of flocculation tanks.

Number of flash mixing = 1 (as n flocculation =2 tanks)

Vone = 17.7 = (πD2/4)*D  D = 2.82 ≈ 2.9 m
 Sedimentation (Settling/clarification)

• The purpose of sedimentation is to decrease the concentration of

suspended particles in the water (coagulated and flocculated
impurities) and hence reducing the load on the filters.

• Sedimentation is a physical treatment process that utilizes

gravity to separate suspended solids from water.
 Sedimentation (Settling/clarification)

• Solid liquid separation process in which a suspension is

separated into two phases:

1) Clarified supernatant leaving the top of the sedimentation

tank (overflow).

2) Concentrated sludge leaving the bottom of the

sedimentation tank (underflow).
 Sedimentation (Settling/clarification)
Factors affecting efficiency of sedimentation:
• Size of suspended solids
• Velocity of water in the sedimentation tank
• Detention time
• Density of suspended solids / density of water
• Water viscosity
• Surface area of tank
• L/B ratio
• Shape of tank (Rectangular, Circular, or Square)
• Pattern of flow (Horizontal, Vertical, or Radial)
 Sedimentation (Settling/clarification)

Important design parameters are:

• Overflow rate

• Water depth

• Tank Shape
 Types of Settling Tanks

• Settling basins may be either long rectangular or circular in

plan.

• Long narrow rectangular tanks with horizontal flow are

generally preferred to the circular tanks with radial or spiral
flow.
Circular Basin Rectangular Basin
 Types of Settling Tanks
a) Long Rectangular Settling Basin
• Long rectangular basins are hydraulically more stable, and
flow control for large volumes is easier with this
configuration.
• A typical long rectangular tank have length ranging from 3
to 5 times their width. The bottom is slightly sloped to
facilitate sludge scraping.
• A slow moving mechanical sludge scraper continuously
pulls the settled material into a sludge hopper from where it
is pumped out periodically.
a) Long Rectangular Settling Basin (cont.)
• A long rectangular settling tank can be divided into four
different functional zones:
1) Inlet zone: Region in which the flow is uniformly
distributed over the cross section such that the flow through
settling zone follows horizontal path.
2) Settling zone: Settling occurs under inert conditions.
3) Outlet zone: Clarified effluent is collected and discharge
through outlet weir.
4) Sludge zone: For collection of sludge below settling.
Rectangular Sedimentation Tank
 Rectangular Sedimentation Tank
Read Only

Rectangular Tanks – Bridge sludge scraper

 Rectangular Sedimentation Tank
Read Only

Rectangular Tanks – Chain plate sludge scraper

 Types of Settling Tanks
b) Circular Clarifier:
• Circular settling basins have the same functional zones as
the long rectangular basin, but the flow regime is different.
• When the flow enters at the center and is baffled to flow
radially towards the perimeter, the horizontal velocity of the
water is continuously decreasing as the distance from the
center increases. Thus, the particle path in a circular basin is
a parabola as opposed to the straight line path in the long
rectangular tank.
• Sludge removal mechanisms in circular tanks are simpler
and require less maintenance.
Influent typically enters the basin from the center rather than from one
end.
The water flows to the effluent weir around the circumference of the
clarifier.
The sludge moves down by gravity and is collected in the sludge hopper
using bed slopes and sludge scrapers then gets out the clarifier through
the sludge pipe. Center Baffle Effluent Weir

Influent
Sludge Scrapers
Sludge Hopper
 Outlet Zone

Inlet Zone

Settling Zone Settling Zone

Sludge Scrapers

Sludge Hopper
Circular Clarifier
Circular Clarifier
 Design of Sedimentation Tanks
Design Criteria:
1. Detention period: 2 ~ 3 h
2. Horizontal velocity of flow: > 30 cm/min
3. Tank dimensions:
Depth: 2.5 ~ 5.0 m  take it 3 m
a) Rectangular
L:B = 3 ~ 5:1
Usually L max = 30 m, Breadth= 6 m ~ 10 m
Aone max =300 m2
b) Circular
A one max =1000 m2 OR Diameter > 40 m.
 Design of Sedimentation Tanks
4. Surface Overflow Rate (SOR):
For better sedimentation
SOR =1 ~ 1.5 m3/hr/m2 of tank area.
5. Slopes:
• Rectangular 1% towards the inlet
• circular 8% towards the center
Example
A city has a design population of 100,000 capita and a maximum
monthly water consumption 238 L/c/day. It is required to design
the rectangular sedimentation tanks required for this city.

Solution:
Qdesign = 100,000*238*1.07/(1000*24)=1061.08 m3/hr
Rectangular tank
V= Q*T
assume T = 2.5 hr  V= 2,652.7 m3
@ d= 3 m  A= 884.23 m2
SOR = Q/A= 1.2 < 1.5 m/hr ok
n=884.23/300 = 2.9  take n = 3 tanks
Solution: (cont.)
A one act = 884.23/3 = 294.74 m3
Take L=3B , B= 9.9 m  L=29.8 m
Or
Take L=30 m  B=9.8 m
Check VH= Q/(n*B*d) = 19.85 cm/min <= 30 cm/min ok

• Use 3 tanks of (29.8, 9.9, 3.0) water dimensions and (29.8, 9.9,
3.0+0.5m) structural dimensions.
Example
A city has a design population of 500,000 capita and an average
annual water consumption 170 l/c/day. It is required to design
the circular sedimentation tanks required for this city.

Solution
Q design = 500,000*170*1.4*1.07/(1000*24)=5305.42 m3/hr
Circular tank
V= Q*T
assume T = 2.5 hr  V= 13,263.54 m3
Assume d= 3.5 m  A= 3,789.6 m2
Then SOR = Q/A= 1.4 < 1.5 m/hr ok
n=3789.6/1000 = 3.8 tanks  take n= 4 tanks
Aone actual= 947.4 = πD2/4  Then D =34.73 ≈ 34.8 m
• Take 4 tanks of (34.8, 3.5) water dimensions
& (35, [3.5 + 0.5 m]) structural dimensions.
 Thank you
Any Questions?

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