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Ideal insertion depth for media in a plate settler?

What should be the depth of media inserted to the clarifier. Is there any calculation.

Wageesha Bangamuwa
employee - Colombo in Sri Lanka
2007

Hello, Wageesha. The plates should not be so deep that the bottoms are in the sludge accumulation zone of the clarifier; nor should they be set in so shallow that there isn't room for the water above them to equalize before flowing to the overflow weirs. The important thing is even distribution of the flow between the plates or tubes.

The way a clarifier works is that the rising flow of water must be slower than the settling rate of the solids. If you have too much water going through any one tube, the rise rate there will carry the solids over, so everything is designed to get near perfect apportioning of flow rate among the tubes.

I am not aware of any calculations or software to offer optimum answers, but it is possible that the clarifier manufacturers have calculations as well as experience. Good luck.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2007