ENE-302

Water Treatment

Chapter 2

Preliminary Treatment

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Preliminary Treatment Process

Screening
Comminution
Grit Removal
Oil and Grease Removal
Pre-aeration

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Screens
Objectives:
Removal of coarse solids (pieces of woods, plastics,
papers, rags, leaves, roots, etc.)
Protection of pump, valves, pipe lines, impellers

Classification Based on:

Opening size: Coarse, Medium, Fine
Configuration: Bar screens, Mesh screens
Cleaning Method: Manual, Mechanical, Raked, Water jet
Screen surface: Fixed, Moving

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 Classification of Screens

Types of Screens

Coarse Screens Fine Screens Strainers

Fixed Screen
Fixed Bar Screen

Band Screen
Band Bar Screen

Disk Screen

Moving Screen

Drum Screen

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Coarse Screen

To protect pumps, valves and pipe lines

Composed of parallel bars or rods
In surface water treatment: set at the water intake
In wastewater treatment: set before pumping, primary
settling or grit chamber
Bar racks: clear spaces up to
75 mm b/w bars to prevent
entry of large debris into intake
structure

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Fine Screen

Fine travelling screens located behind bar racks

Openings of about 10 to 13 mm
To prevent entry of small debris such as sticks, bark,
leaves, and fish

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Preliminary Treatment Process
Bar Screening to Disposal
Screen
Pre-
(Odor control) Grit Washing To Disposal
chlorination Drum
Screen
Constant velocity
Aeration (Odor control) Disc Grit Chamber
Screen
Inlet Aerated Pre-aeration
chamber Grit Chamber and Flocculation
Rotating
H2O2 (Pre-aeration: to freshen
(Odor control) Drum Bar Mechanical
Injection sewage & prevent odors
Comminutor Grit Chamber
in primary settling tank
Oxygen Fixed Bar Flocculation: to enhance
(Odor control and Screen with settling in primary
Injection BOD removal) Detritus
Shredder tank settling tank)

Grit and Organics Washing To Disposal

Pre-aeration and
PRE-TREATMENT Screening Grit Removal flocculation
(in sewers and rising mains) PRELIMINARY TREATMENT

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Mechanically Cleaned Bar Screens

Drive

Chain scraper

Screening trough

to landfill

Coarse solids

Bar rack

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Mechanically Cleaned Bar Screens

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 Manual Bar Screen

Manual Work

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 Automatic Bar Screen

Rake Carriage

Rigid frame with

bar screen rack

Motor driven
cables for raising and
lowering of the carriage

INLET

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Manually Cleaned Bar Screens

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 Manually Cleaned Fixed Bar Screens
Working platform

Spill weir Screen

Screen box
Screen

Outlet Outlet
sediment
Intake
Inclined screen with upward flow
Sediment Waste
(Screen can be tilted for cleaning)

inlet
Vertical rack cleaned by hand
operated long-time rake
Screen

sediment Outlet

Self-flushing inclined screen 13

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 Manually cleaned bar screen installation

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 15
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 16
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COMMINUTOR DRUM CONSTRUCTION

SLOTTED DRUM

STATIONARY
COMB

DRUM SLOTS

CUTTING TEETH

CUTTER BARS
REPLACEABLE 17
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Types of Comminutors

Vertical rotating drum screen: A comminutor consists of

rotating drum with slots for the w.water to pass through
Stationary semicircular screen grid mounted in a
rectangular channel with rotating circular cutting discs
A unit rotating with two large diameter vertical rotating
shafts equipped with cutting blades
A unit containing conical shaped screen grid, the axis
which is located parallel to the channel flow
Barminutors: to intercept screenings & disintegrate them

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Comminutors
Motor

Stationary Slotted Screens

with Oscillating Cutter

Adjusting Shart
screw

Oscillating
cutter

DOWNSTREAM UPSTREAM

Adjusting
Screen
screw
Base plate

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Comminutors
Counter
weight
Dual Objectives:
Screen
Disintegrate the screenings

Rotating
Cutter Bar
Screen

U Shaped bars and rotating drums with cutter

Rotating drum moves up and down the bar screen

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 Barminutor
Function
Large solids get caught in the rotating drum
Causes solids to push against the stationary drum
Disintegrate solids by cutting bars & teeth in the rotating drum
When the pieces are small, pass through the slots in the drum

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Comminution
Advantage
Elimination of extra steps and problems involved in the
excavation of the disposals of screening (screened material)
Often difficult to dispose highly polluted screenings - In USA if
buried, 6 inches of cover material should be used
Highly suitable for small treatment plants. e.g. : mountain or
beach resorts.

Disadvantage
Frequent maintenance of cutting tools ( delicate equipment)
Risk accumulation of comminuted materials (textiles, vegetable
fibers)  eventual clogging of pumps and piping.
These materials  to form floating scum in anaerobic digestion
Problems in trickling filter (clogging of distribution pipe holes) 
mainly used in activated sludge process.
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Arrangement of Comminutor
Parallel with bar screens
Bar screens/Comminutors (to remove big floating materials
such as textile etc.)
It is always placed in the influent channel
Bottom discharge - wastewater entering the comminutor
goes out through the bottom

Bar Screen Bar Screen

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