TECHNICAL PAPERS
Aug 1, 1995

Inlet-Structure Design for Final Clarifiers

Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 121, Issue 8

Abstract

A final-clarifier inlet design for improving the flow conditions and the settling efficiency is described. Numerical simulations and experiments are introduced in order to model and analyze the flow field as well as to evaluate the design criteria. It is demonstrated that inlet structures of primary and secondary clarifiers cannot be optimized by the same procedure. Although primary-clarifier inlet design is mainly concerned with dissipation of kinetic energy, secondary-clarifier inlet design requires the consideration of density effects on the flow field as well as flocculation properties of the activated sludge. The suggested design includes (1) an inlet expanding over the whole width of the tank, positioned at the bottom, and with a relatively low aperture height in order to reduce potential energy flux; (2) a series of angle bars beyond the inlet for dissipation of kinetic energy and decrease of velocity fluctuations; and (3) dimensioning the inlet volume as flocculation chamber. The introduced inlet design must be tested in the future in either full-scale or pilot-scale tanks with activated sludge.

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Published In

Go to Journal of Environmental Engineering
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 121Issue 8August 1995
Pages: 558 - 564

History

Published online: Aug 1, 1995
Published in print: Aug 1995

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Authors

Affiliations

Peter Krebs
Sr. Res. Engr., Swiss Federal Inst. for Envir. Sci. and Technol. (EAWAG), Ueberlandstrasse 133, CH-8600 Duebendorf, Switzerland.
Daniel Vischer
Prof., Lab. of Hydr., Hydro., and Glaciology (VAW), Swiss Federal Inst. of Technol., ETH Zentrum, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
Willi Gujer
Prof., Swiss Federal Inst. for Envir. Sci. and Technol. (EAWAG), Ueberlandstrasse 133, CH-8600 Duebendorf, and Swiss Federal Inst. of Technol., ETH Hoenggerberg, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland.

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