Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP)

Preliminary Treatment Systems

Wastewater contains varying quantities of floating and suspended solids, some of

considerable size. Materials such as rags, pieces of wood, metal, plastic, or rubber,
or fragments of masonry enter sewers and eventually may reach the treatment
plant. The head works of wastewater plants usually incorporate a flow
measurement device such as a Parshall flume and mechanical or physico-chemical
systems designed for removal of large floating solids, grit, and perhaps grease.
The wastewater frequently is carried to the WWTP by gravity and, consequently, it
is at a substantial depth below grade. Thus, a pumping station is required to raise
the sewage to an appropriate level to facilitate gravity flow through the plant.
Preliminary treatment typically serves three important functions: removal of
untreatable solid materials; protection of subsequent treatment units; and
improvement of the performance of subsequent treatment units. Preliminary
treatment unit operations include: screens, shredders or grinders, grit removal, and
flow equalization.

The Parshall Flume

Measurement of flows containing large solids and flowing under open channel
conditions is most readily done using a horizontally constricted vertical throat
such as that employed in the Parshall flume (Figure 1). A flume of this sort has a
low headloss and a predictable discharge-head relationship :

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The equation applies to flumes 300 mm to 3 m in width. Typical dimensions for
Parshall flumes are given in Table 1.

Figure 1: The Parshall flume.

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Table 1 Standard dimensions and capacities of Parshall flumes. (See Fig. 1)

Figure 2: Manufactured Parshall flume.

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BAR RACKS AND SCREENS

Screening is the first unit operation in wastewater treatment plant. A screen is a

device with openings generally of uniform size that is used to retain the coarse
solids found in wastewater.
The screening elements may consist of parallel bars, wire mesh, or perforated
plates.
Current practice is to use corrosion-resistant materials such as stainless steel and
plastics for the bar rack. Though much more expensive, the stainless-steel systems
are preferred because of their better maintenance history.

Classifications of screen
The classification of racks and screens is typically based on their purpose and the
size of the openings. Table 2 provides a summary of the classification of the racks
and screens. Depending upon the clean of screens, it may classified as hand screens
and mechanical screens.
Table 2 classification of racks and screens

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Figure 3: Hand-cleaned bar screen with overflow bypass. A. Plan view; B. AA
section.

Design of Bar Racks

Typical design ranges for bar racks are summarized in Table 3.
Table 3 Typical bar design ranges

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Velocity through screens

The velocity of flow ahead of and through the screen varies and affects its
operation. The lower the velocity through the screen, the greater is the amount of
screenings that would be removed from sewage. However, the lower the velocity,
the greater would be the amount of solids deposited in the channel. Hence, the
design velocity should be such as to permit 100% removal of material of certain
size without undue depositions. Velocities of 0.6 to 1.2 mps through the open area
for the peak flows have been used satisfactorily. Further, the velocity at low flows
in the approach channel should not be less than 0.3 mps to avoid deposition of
solids.

Head loss

Head loss varies with the quantity and nature of screenings allowed to accumulate
between cleanings. The head loss created by a clean screen may be calculated by
considering the flow and the effective areas of screen openings. The head loss
through clean flat bar screens is calculated from the following formula:

h = 0.0729 (V2 - v2)

where, h = head loss in m

V = velocity through the screen in m/s

v = velocity before the screen in m/s

Another formula often used to determine the head loss through a bar rack is
Kirschmer's equation:

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hL = (W/b)4/3 hv sin

where hL = head loss, m

= bar shape factor (2.42 for sharp edge rectangular bar, 1.83 for rectangular bar
with semicircle upstream, 1.79 for circular bar and 1.67 for rectangular bar with
both u/s and d/s face as semicircular).

W = maximum width of bar u/s of flow, m

b = minimum clear spacing between bars, m

hv = velocity head of flow approaching rack, m = v2/2g

= angle of inclination of rack with horizontal

Example 1

A bar rack is inclined at 60 angle with the horizontal. The circular bar have a
diameter of 15 mm and clean spacing of 25 mm. Determine the head loss when the
bars are cleaned and the velocity approaching the bars is 0.6 m/s

Solution

hL = (W/b)4/3 hv sin

hL = 1.79 (0.015/0.025)4/3 (0.62/2*9.81) sin 60

hL = 0.014 m = 14.3 mm.

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Grit Chambers
Sand, gravel, broken glass, egg shells, and other material having a settling velocity
substantially greater than the organic material in wastewater is called grit. Grit
chambers are basin to remove the inorganic particles. Grit removal is provided to
1. Prevent damage to the pumps
2. Reduce the formation of deposits in pipelines and channels
3. Reduce the frequency of digester cleaning that is required because of
accumulated grit.
Another goal of the grit removal system is to separate the grit from the organic
material in the wastewater. This separation allows the organic material to be
treated in subsequent processes.
The velocity-controlled grit channel is a long, narrow, sedimentation basin with
better flow control through velocity. Some wastewater treatment plants control the
velocity by using multiple channels. A more economical arrangement and better
velocity control is achieved by the use of control sections on the downstream of the
channel. These control sections maintain constant velocity in the channel for a
range of flows by using proportional weirs, Parshall flumes, and parabolic flumes.

Types of Grit Chambers

There are four general types of grit removal systems: horizontal-flow grit
chambers, detritus tanks, aerated grit chambers, and vortex-flow grit chambers.
The horizontal-flow grit chamber (Figure 1) is fundamentally, a velocity-controlled
channel. The velocity is controlled by a proportional weir or Parshall flume. The
detritus tank is a square horizontal-flow grit chamber (Figure 2). The tank is
basically a sedimentation basin with a very short detention time. The flow is
directed across the tank by a series of gates or weirs and discharges over a weir
that runs the length of the opposite side of the tank. In aerated grit chambers, air is

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introduced along one side of the tank near the bottom and causes a spiral roll
pattern perpendicular to the flow through the tank (Figure 3). The vortex systems
rely on a mechanically induced vortex to capture grit (Figure 4).

Figure 1 horizontal-flow grit chamber with continuous chain removal

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Figure 2: Detritus tank and grit washer.

Figure 3. Spiral roll pattern in an aerated grit chamber

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Figure 4. Vortex grit chamber

Aerated Grit Chamber

An aerated grit chamber consists of a standard spiral flow aeration tank provided
with air diffusion tubes placed on one side of the tank. The grit particles tend to
settle down to the bottom of the tank at rates dependent upon the particle size and
the bottom velocity of roll of the spiral flow, which in turn depends on the rate of
air diffusion through diffuser tubes and shape of aeration tank. The heavier
particles settle down whereas the lighter organic particles are carried with roll of
the spiral motion.

Aerated grit chambers are widely used for selective removal of grit. The spiral roll
of the aerated grit chamber liquid drives the grit into a hopper located under the air
diffuser assembly.

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