Chemical Housing and Auxiliary

Building Design and Consideration

Aeration
Outline
 Application
 Purpose
 Type of Aerator
 Solubility/Saturation Concentration of a Gas
 Iron and Manganese Removal
 Design of Cascade Aerators
 Efficiency of Cascade Aerators
 Raw Water Balancing Basin

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 Aeration
Application
It is not strictly necessary to include aeration as a pre-treatment
process in river water.
In dams and impounding reservoirs,
• in case their catchment areas will not be adequately protected
against contamination, water quality may deteriorate.
• In such a case, aeration of the raw water as the first treatment
step may play an important role in removing undesirable gases
from the raw water and reducing the chlorine dosages required
in the pre-chlorination process.
• To remove (oxidize) Iron and Manganese

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Aeration
Purpose
• Aeration is a treatment process that is used to improve the
predicted water quality parameters.
• The process either raises the dissolved oxygen (DO) content of
water through absorption process or facilitates the removal of
gas molecules that cause the water quality to deteriorate,
through desorption process.
• This adsorption and desorption process is achieved through
bringing gas/air/ in contact with the water.
Aeration
Purpose
Addition of oxygen to the water to oxidize dissolved compounds such as: -
 Fe2+, Mn2+, NH4+/NO2- that occur as a result of anaerobic condition
in ground water and also in the reservoirs in case of eutrophication
and stratification process.
• Subsequently, the oxide forms of these compounds will be
removed in the next filtration process;
 Removing test and odor components (e.g. through removing
hydrogen sulfide H2S);
 Removing ammonia (NH3) to reduce eutrophic condition;
 Removing CO2 to reach carbonate (CO2-3) equilibrium; and
 Removing volatile organic matter.

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Aeration
Type of aerator
Aeration
Type of aerator

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Aeration
Type of aerator

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 Solubility/Saturation Concentration of
a gas
The theoretical and practical aspects of aeration and gas should be
applied in the design of aerators.
Accordingly, the saturation Concentration of a gas, in this case Oxygen
(O2), in water is directly proportional to the saturation concentration
of O2 in gas phase (in air) and can be estimated by the following
formulas.
𝐶 𝑠= 𝐾 𝑑 ∗ 𝐶 𝑔

Where: Discussion

 Saturation Concentration or the solubility of gas/O 2 in water (g/m3)

 Saturation Concentration of gas/O 2 in gas phase (-)
 Distribution Coefficient of gas/O2 in water phase (g/m3, moles/m3,
moles/mole)
 Solubility/Saturation Concentration of
a gas

• The O2 concentration in the gas phase (g/m3) has to be

known for estimating its solubility Cs in water.
• Cg of O2 can be obtained by application of universal gas law.

Where:
 P=Partial pressure of respective gas in the gas phase (Pa)
 V= Total volume of the gas phase including all gases of a gas mixture (m 3)
 n=number of moles of the respective gas contained in volume V
 R= universal gas constant (8.3143J/0K.mole)
 T= absolute temperature (0K)

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 Solubility/Saturation Concentration of
a gas

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 Solubility/Saturation Concentration of
a gas
The molar gas concentration in the gas phase is equal to
N / V  P /( R * T ), ( moles / m 3 )
Cg n / v * MW  P /( R * T ) * MW ( g / m 3 )

Thus the concentration/Solubility of gas (O2) in water phase can be

calculated as follows by Henery's Law.

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Cs K d * P /( R * T ) * MW ( g / m )

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 Solubility/Saturation Concentration of
a gas
 According to Dalton’s Law, the partial pressure of a gas within a gas mixture is
equal to the product of the total pressure P and its volumetric fraction f of the
gas phase.
 Dry air, for instance contains 20.948% of O2 and Pat STP=101,325 pa, (Pascal).
 Thus, p of O2 in dry air=20.948%*101325=21,226 pa.
 In practice of aeration the gas phase always is saturated with Water Vapour
excreting a certain partial pressure Pw.
 Hence the partial pressure, corrected for water Vapour saturation of the gas
phase p amounts to the following.
p  f ( P  Pw ) pa
• f = Volumetric fraction of gas in gas phase (%)
• Pw=Water Vapour pressure at the gas liquid interface (pa)
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 Solubility/Saturation Concentration of
a gas
 Influence of impurities on the solubility of gases
 The distribution coefficient is valid only for pure water.
 Other impurities or constituents that are contained in the water may
influence the solubility of gases; a fact may be expressed by an activity
coefficient, γ
C s ( K d * C g ) / 
6
1 /  1  9.10 * C imp
Cimp= Salinity of the water expressed in g/m3 of chloride

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 Aeration
Iron and Manganese Removal

• These Iron and manganese values should be below the WHO limit
for drinking water both in the dry season and in the rainy season
otherwise need aeration.
• The presence of iron and manganese in drinking water is not a
health-related problem, but an aesthetic problem, mainly because
of staining of laundry.

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 Aeration
Iron and Manganese Removal

• The most commonly used and economic method of iron (and

manganese) removal is by oxidation followed by liquid/solid
separation.
• The rationale of this treatment method is simple:
 during oxidation, the soluble divalent ferrous iron (Fe2+) is
converted to the insoluble trivalent ferric iron (Fe3+).
 The iron precipitate is then separated from the liquid by
sedimentation and mostly by filtration.

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 Aeration
Iron and Manganese Removal

Oxidation may be by aeration. A minimum detention time of 5-30

minutes should be provided following aeration.
• The detention basin may be designed as a holding tank without
provisions for sludge removal.
• The separation of the iron precipitate, this will occur together with
turbidity removal during the coagulation-sedimentation process
and the filtration process.
• Conventional surface water treatment plants that remove well
turbidity will also remove iron and manganese.

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 Aeration
Design of Cascade aerators

In the aeration and gas transfer process, the amount of oxygen transfer
from the gas phase to water phase or vice versa is mainly depends on
 the efficiency of aerators,
 the weir height,
 the temperature of water and
 the quality of water to be aerated
For one step, the efficiency of cascade aerators is calculated
( 𝐶𝑒 − 𝐶𝑜 )
𝑘=
( 𝐶𝑠 − 𝐶𝑜 )

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 Aeration
Design of Cascade aerators

Thus, the amount of O2 transferred in one step aeration will be

For n number of steps

Where
K=Efficiency of Cascade aerators
Ce=gas concentration in the effluent of aerator (g/m3 of O2)
Co=initial concentration of gas (g/m3 of O2)
Cs = Saturation concentration of a gas in water (g/m3 of O2)

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 Aeration
Efficiency of cascade aerators

The efficiency of a specific cascade aerator is normally determined at level

field tests.
there are also empirical formulas to roughly estimate its efficiency
 unpolluted Water

 polluted Water

Where
T= water Temperature in OC
h=weir height of one step (m)

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 Aeration
Efficiency of cascade aerators
 Cascade Aerators of identical steps have been designed to increase
the solubility of O2 to the level of saturation.
 However, the increment of oxygen concentration to the 75% of its
saturation level is sufficient to remove and improve the mentioned
water quality parameters.
 This level of O2 concentration is also considered for economic
reasons.
 An overflow and drainage pipes will be provided for each of
receiving chambers the cascade steps.

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 Aeration
Raw water balancing basin
 The raw water balancing basin is designed to control and balance
the flow fluctuations that could occur to the coagulation unit.
 The outlet level should be fixed at minimum out let elevation.
 This level will be used as a commanding point for setting the levels
of the next consecutive treatment units.
 The raw water will then be gravitated to the hydraulic rapid mixers
located on the top heads of treatment plant.
 The balancing tank will be provided with overflow and washout
pipes.

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Aeration
Raw water balancing basin

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Aeration
Raw water balancing basin

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Aeration
Raw water balancing basin

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