CASE STUDIES


drain TRADER


Siltbuster Process Solutions trials treating raw water supply


Siltbuster Process Solutions (SPS), the water treatment specialist, has provided equipment for a special trial project that sees one of its lamella clarifiers treating a raw water supply. The client is trialling different chemical dosing set ups on actual water, running the tests for several weeks to generate data for a thorough review.


For the pilot, SPS was tasked with ensuring its solution included a flow meter, pH probe, chemical reactions tank – which includes dedicated mixers, a settlement tank and a sludge tank - and that it treat an initial flow rate of approximately 1 m3/hr. To satisfy this request, one of its integrated iHB10 lamella clarifier units was installed on site.


The lamella clarifier uses a series of inclined plates, which provide a large effective settling area for a relatively small footprint. This was ideal for this project where the solids loading is variable and solids sizing is fine. The inlet flow enters the mix tank where the coagulant is added, together with pH correction for optimum performance. The water is then overflowed into another mix tank where polymer is added, and the chemically treated water then enters the clarifier itself. The solid


particles settle on the plates and accumulate in collection hoppers at the bottom of the unit. The sludge is then drawn off at the bottom of the hoppers and the clarified liquid exits the unit at the top over a weir.


The coagulation and flocculation steps of the treatment process are important in promoting the effective removal of solid material suspended in the water. In coagulation, the process involves the addition of a coagulant that destabilizes the charged particles, which are non-settleable, whilst flocculation involves a similar destabilization process that is achieved through physical mixing and adding organic polymers.


Although the project is confidential, SPS’ equipment is proving very versatile in its applications and critical parameters can easily be adjusted to provide continuous real time data and results. The other benefit of the Pilot Plant is that any set up can be easily repeated to generate further data to satisfy the trial.


The SPS unit was factory tested before it was dispatched, minimising time spent on site for installation and commissioning. With all of the treatment components being contained


36 drain TRADER | November 2020 | www.draintraderltd.com


in one unit, the iHB10 has a much smaller footprint than a solution with separate treatment units for each process stage, saving precious space on site.


Due to this special trial being run on a long term hire, various adjustments to the dosing rates of the chemicals being trialled can be made. The equipment can gather sufficient data and evaluate the effectiveness of any changes in dosing rates, performance, sludge production and consistency. It also allows SPS’ client to continually evaluate the plant performance in response to these adjustments. Data from that trial can be used to optimise the full-scale treatment design.


David Gaskill, Proposal Manager, at SPS, comments: “Our client has been very pleased with the performance and flexibility of the unit. It has allowed them to make calculated and strategic changes to the chemistry and flow through the unit, running a trial for a week or so before the next change is made. The data for this is invaluable for the performance of the overall process and from this, the results can easily be scaled up to provide essential design data to optimise the full-scale plant.”


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