INTRODUCTION

TO HEADWORKS
AND
PRELIMINARY
TREATMENT,
FLOW
MEASUREMENTS
Headworks refers to the unit operations that are placed at
the upstream end of the wastewater treatment plant
(WWTP).
These include the pumping station, flow measurement,
and a group of unit operations
 PUMP
STATION
The design of the pump station (or lift station) at
the WWTP is to a great extent similar to those
placed in the collection system. The major
differences are that the building components are
incorporated into the WWTP facility and that an
alternative to the nonclog centrifugal pump may
be appropriate. The alternative is a screw pump
(often called an Archimedes screw ).
 S crew pumps ( Figure 20-1 ) are high volume, nonclog,
atmospheric head devices that can pump a variety of solids and
debris in raw wastewater without screening. There are two general
types: the open screw that rotates in a trough and the enclosed
screw, in which both the screw and the enclosing cylinder rotate. A
major advantage of these pumps is variable pumping at constant
speed, because the output, up to the design capacity, is controlled
by the sump level and equals the influent flow rate. Operators like
screw pumps because the good ones, when properly installed, are
nearly trouble free (Garbus, 2006).
 The overall efficiency of the pumping system may be as
high as 80 percent at design flow. At approximately 30
percent of design capacity, the efficiency of the open screw
drops to about 60 percent because of friction and backflow
(called slippage) of fluid between the flights and the
trough. There is no slippage with the enclosed screw
(Garbus, 2006). Major disadvantages of screw pumps are
the large area ( footprint ) of the pumping station because
of the angle of the slope of the screw and limited head
(about 10 m) that can be achieved.
• PARSHALL FLUME
• MAGNETIC FLOW FLOW
MEASUREMENT
METER
PARSHALL FLUME DIMENSIONS
LMNO (2008) has developed an equation and graphs
that may be used for free flow conditions:
 Figure 20-3A:
Parshall flume coefficient n
 FIGURE 20-3B
Parshall flume coefficient, C
Example 20-2. Continuing with the head works design for Waterloo ( Example 20-1 ),
design a Parshall flume by specifying the throat width and estimating the maximum
depth of the flume.
Assume free flow conditions and 0.6 m freeboard above the maximum depth.
Solution:
a. Using Table 20-2 , select a throat width of 0.91 m with a maximum range of flows
𝑚3 𝑚3
from 100 to 5,100 . This range encompasses the range found in Example 20-
ℎ ℎ
𝑚3 𝑚3
1 : 433 to 4,330 .
ℎ ℎ
𝑚3
b. Calculate the depth of flow at 4,330 . Use Figures 20-3A and 20-3B to find the
ℎ
coefficients for Equation 20-1 . For a throat width of 0.91 m, n = 1.57, and C = 2.5,
convert the peak hour flow rate to appropriate units and solve Equation 20-1for
Ha .

𝑚3
104, 000 𝑚 3
𝑑 = 1.20
𝑠 𝑠
86, 400
𝑑
 3 1/1.57
1/𝑛 𝑚
𝑄 1.20
𝐻𝑎 = = 𝑠 = 0.628 𝑜𝑟 0.63
𝐶 2.5

c. Add the freeboard to the depth of flow to

yield

0.63 + 0.6 = 1.2 𝑚 𝑑𝑒𝑡𝑝ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒.

 Magnetic
Flow Meter
Location

• To measure the flow

accurately, both the Parshall
flume and the mag meter
require uniform flow upstream
and downstream of the
measuring point.
SCHEMATIC OF MAGNETIC FLOWMETER
CORRECT
INSTALLATION
LOCATIONS