Sewage treatment

Sewage Treatment Flow Sheet

The design of process flow sheet involves selection of an appropriate combination of various unit
operations and unit processes to achieve a desired degree of contaminant removal. The selection of unit
operations and processes primarily depends on the characteristics of the sewage and the required level
of contaminants permitted in the treated effluents. The design of process flow sheet is important step
in overall design of wastewater treatment and requires thorough understanding of the treatment units.
It calls for optimization of wastewater treatment system coupled with stage wise optimal design of
individual operation/ process to achieve a minimal cost design. The main contaminants in domestic
sewage, to be removed, are biodegradable organics, Suspended Solids (SS) and pathogens, with first
two having been considered as the performance indicators for various treatment units. In general the
objective of the domestic wastewater treatment is to bring down BOD less than 30 mg/L and SS less
than 30 mg/L for disposal into inland water bodies. The conventional flow sheet of sewage treatment
plant consists of unit operations such as screening, grit removal, and Primary Settling Tank (PST),
followed by unit process of aerobic biological treatment such as Activated Sludge Process (ASP) or
Trickling Filter.

Fig.1: Sewage Treatment Flow Sheet

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Screening
A screen is a device with openings for removing bigger suspended or floating matter in sewage which
would otherwise damage equipment or interfere with satisfactory operation of treatment units.
The screens are there for used to protect pumps, valves, pipelines and other appurtenances form damage
or clogging.
Screens consisting of parallel bars are called bar racks. Other screens include the rotary drum screen
and centrifugal screens.

Bar rack screen Rotary drum screen

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Screens classification
Coarse Screens: Coarse screens also called racks, are usually bar screens, composed of vertical or
inclined bars spaced at equal intervals across a channel through which sewage flows. Bar screens with
relatively large openings of 75 to 150 mm are provided ahead of pumps, while those ahead of
sedimentation tanks have smaller openings of 50 mm. Bar screens are usually hand cleaned and
sometimes provided with mechanical devices. These cleaning devices are rakes which periodically
sweep the entire screen removing the solids for further processing or disposal.

Medium Screens: Medium screens have clear openings of 20 to 50 mm. The bars used for screens are
rectangular in cross section usually about 10 x 50 mm, placed with larger dimension parallel to the
flow.

Fine Screens: Fine screens are made from perforated plates, woven wire cloth or very closely spaced
bars with clear openings of less than 20 mm. Fine screens are not normally suitable for sewage because
of clogging possibilities.

Velocity
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 approach 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 m/s 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 m/s to avoid deposition of solids.

Analysis of bar racks

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 latter being the sum of the vertical projections of the openings.

The head loss through clean flat bar screens is calculated from the following formula:

Hydraulic losses across bar racks are a function of approach velocity and the velocity through the bars.

a) The headloss through bar racks can be computed as;

(𝑉𝑏 2 − Va)
2
1
Hl = ∗
2g C

3
 Where;
hL= headloss
C = discharge coefficient=0.7 for clear screen and 0.6 for clogged screen
Vb = velocity of flow through the racks openings
Va = approach velocity
g = gravitational acceleration

The headloss increases with the degree of clogging.

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

h = β (W/b)4/3 hv sin θ

Where,
h = head loss ,m
β= 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
θ= angle of inclination of rack with horizontal

Example 1
Design of the bar screen channel (Approach Channel) is similar to what was covered in PHE 1:
REFER accordingly

Example 2
Design a screen chamber with the following data using Kirschmer’s equation:
• Q = 0.5m3/s
• ϴ = 70o
• Depth of upstream water flow = 0.8m
• Velocity of water approaching rack = 0.7m/s
• Width of bars = 10mm
• Bar spacing =2cm
• Take β = 1.79

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 a) Head loss =
h = β (W/b)4/3 hv sin θ

b) Width of the screen chamber

i) Width without factoring in the bar screen thickness

ii) No of spacing

iii) No of bars = No of spacing +1 =45+1 =46

iv) Width of the screen chamber = width without bars + (no of bars * thickness of bars)

= 0.89+ (46*0.01)
= (0.89+0.46) = 1.35m

Grit chamber
Grit chamber is the second unit operation used in primary treatment of wastewater and it is intended to
remove suspended inorganic particles such as sandy and gritty matter from the wastewater that have
specific gravity much higher than those of the organic solids in wastewater. Grit chambers are provided
to protect moving mechanical equipment from abrasion and abnormal wear; avoid deposition in
pipelines, channels, and conduits;

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Horizontal Velocity in Flow Though Grit Chamber

The settling of grit particles in the chamber is assumed as particles settling as individual entities and
referred as Type – I settling: Discrete particle settling.The grit chamber is divided in four compartments
as inlet zone, outlet zone, settling zone and sludge zone (Figure below)

Compartments of grit chamber

L – Length of the settling zone

H – Depth of the settling zone
V – Horizontal velocity of wastewater
Vc –Critical horizontal velcity
Vo – Settling velocity of the smallest particle intended to be removed in grit chamber.

To prevent scouring of already deposited particles, the magnitude of horizontal V should not exceed
the critical horizontal velocity Vc (critical velocity of scour)

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The value of Vc can be given by the following equation,

A horizontal velocity of flow of 15 to 30 cm/sec is used at peak flows. This same velocity is to be
maintained at all fluctuation of flow to ensure that only organic solids and not the grit is scoured from
the bottom

Design of Grit Chambers

The settling process is governed by the classic laws of sedimentation – stokes laws.
g (  s −  )d 2
vs =
18

where
νs = settling velocity
ρs = density of particle (kg/m3)
ρ = density of fluid (kg/m3)
g = gravitational constant (m/s2)
d = particle diameter (m)
μ = dynamic viscosity (Pa·s)

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NOTE
If Vs is the settling velocity of any particle,then
For Vs ≥Vo these particles will be totally removed
For Vs < Vo these particles will be partially removed

Grit and sedimentation chambers in general are designed so that all particles with terminal velocity of
Vs and greater are removed from suspension.

The rate of production for clarified water equal to,

𝑄 = 𝐴𝑝 𝑉𝑠 ; Where, A is the plan area of the chamber

Therefore,
𝑸
𝑽𝒔 = 𝑨 , which is referred to overflow rate.
𝒑

In continuous flow, the length and depth of the basin should be such that the particles settle to the
bottom of the bottom of the basin.

𝑳 𝑯 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒉(𝑯)
Detention time, 𝒕 = 𝑽 = 𝑽 ; Or 𝑽𝒔 = 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆
𝒔

Example 1.
Design a grit chamber to remove sand particles (S = 2.65) with a mean diameter of 0.21 mm. Assume
the sand is spherical and the temperature of the wastewater is 20 oC. The wastewater flow is 10,000
m3/d. A velocity of 0.3 m/s will be automatically maintained, and the depth must be 1.5 times the width
at maximum flow.

a) Calculate settling velocity

𝑔𝜌(𝑆−1)𝑑2
𝑉𝑠 = 18𝜇

9.81∗998(2.65−1)(2.1∗10−4 )2
𝑉𝑠 = = 0.039𝑚/𝑠
18∗(1∗10−3 )

b) Calculate the cross-sectional area

Q 10000
Ax = Ax =
v (0.3 1440  60)8
 Ax = 0.39 m2

c) Calculate the width and depth

Ax = W 1.5W = 1.5W 2
0.5 0.5
A   0.39 
W = x  =  = 0.51 m
 1.5   1.5 

D = W 1.5 = 0.511.5 = 0.76 m

d) Determine the detention time required for a particle to fall the entire tank depth
D 0.76 m
td = = = 19.4 s
vs 0.039 m/s

e) Determine the length to achieve this detention time

L = td  v = 19.4 s  0.3 m/s = 5.8 m

f) Thus, the tank must have dimensions

W = 0.51 m
D = 0.76 m
L = 5.8 m

Example 2
Design a grit chamber for population of 50000 with water consumption of 135 lpcd. Take horizontal
velocity as 0.2m/s and detention time as 1 minute. Take peak factor 2.5 .Assume a width of 1m.
Solution
a) Design discharge
i) Average quantity of sewage, considering sewage generation 80% of water supply
=135*50000 *0.8= 5400m3/day = 0.0625m3/s

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 ii) Maximum flow =2.5 x average flow =2.5*0.0625 = 0.156m3/s

b) Length of the grit chamber = velocity *detention time = 0.2*60 =12.0m

c) Volume of grit chamber =Discharge *detention time = 0.156*60 = 9.36m3
d) Cross sectional area = volume / length = 9.36/12 =0.78m2

e) Provide, width =1 m, hence depth =0.78m

f) Other considerations
i) Provide 25% additional length to accommodate inlet and outlet zones
Hence length of the grit chamber =12*1.25 =15m
ii) Provide 0.3 m free board and 0.25 m grit accumulation zone ,hence total depth
=0.78+0.3+0.25 =1.33m
Therefore;
Size 15m long *1m wide *1.33m deep.

Equalization tank
Flow equalization is used to minimize the variability of water and wastewater flow rates and
composition. Each unit operation in a treatment train is designed for specific wastewater characteristics.
Improved efficiency and control are possible when all unit operations are carried out at uniform flow
conditions. If there exists a wide variation in flow composition over time, the treatment efficiency of
the overall process performance may degrade severely. These variations in flow composition could be
due to many reasons, including the cyclic nature of industrial processes, the sudden occurrence of storm
water events, and seasonal variations. To dampen these variations, equalization basins are provided at
the beginning of the treatment train. The influent water with varying flow composition enters this basin
first before it is allowed to go through the rest of the treatment process.
Various benefits are ascribed by different investigators to the use of flow equalization in wastewater
treatment systems. Some of the most important benefits are listed as follows
1. Equalization improves sedimentation efficiency by improving hydraulic detention time.
2. The efficiency of a biological process can be increased because of uniform flow characteristics and
minimization of the impact of shock loads and toxins during operation.
3. Treatability of the wastewater is improved and some BOD reduction and odor removal is provided
if aeration is used for mixing in the equalization basin.

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 4. A point of return for recycling concentrated waste streams is provided, thereby mitigating shock
loads to primary settlers or aeration basin. Sometimes it is thought that equalization tanks also serve
the purpose of dilution.

Equalization basins in a treatment system can be located in-line or off-line. Figures below depict the
typical layouts of both types of equalization practice with respect to the rest of the unit operations. In
in-line equalization, 100% incoming raw wastewater directly enters into the equalization basin, which
is then pumped directly to other treatment units (e.g., primary treatment units). However, for side-line
or offline equalization, the basin does not directly receive the incoming wastewater. Rather, an overflow
structure diverts excess flow from the incoming raw wastewater into the basin. Water is pumped from
the basin into the treatment stream to augment the flow as required.

Flow Equalization Basin Calculations

The volume of equalization tank is determined using graphical method the inflow mass diagram, which
is the well-known Rippl diagram . The steps required to create a Rippl diagram and to use this diagram
to calculate the equalization volume are outlined as follows:

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The theory behind the method is explained with Fig. above which shows a typical cumulative influent
volume curve for the average daily flows. In this figure, the cumulative volume is plotted on the y-axis
against the time of day. The resulting graph is shown by an irregularly shaped curve. If the curve is
linear, then the flow is constant. When the tail end (O) of this cumulative influent volume curve is
joined with the top end (M), the average flow curve (shown by dotted line) is obtained. Lines parallel
to average daily flow line (dotted line) and tangent to mass flow curve are then drawn. The points of
tangency are (B) and (C). From these points of tangency, vertical straight lines are drawn until these
vertical lines intersect the average daily flow line. The points of intersection are given at (A) and (D).
The required equalization volume will be equal to sum of the vertical distances AB and CD. At the first
point (B) of tangency, the storage basin is empty and beyond this point, the basin begins to fill and
continues until the basin becomes full at upper point (C) of tangency.
The volume calculated based on the hydrograph method is the theoretical volume. In practice, the
volume will be always greater than the theoretical because of the following reasons:
• A minimum volume of water is always required in an equalization basin for mixing and aeration
equipment inside the basin to operate
• Sometimes, concentrated waste downstream in the treatment plant is returned to the equalization
basin. To avoid odor problems, dilution of such returned waste is needed and the diluted water is stored
in the equalization basin.

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• Some free board is always provided to accommodate unforeseen changes in diurnal flow.
Flow equalization is more routinely employed in industry than at municipal facilities because many
industries use batch production processes. However, there are now also a large number of municipal
equalization basin installations.

Class exercise
For the flow rate data given in the table determine, the in-line storage volume required to equalize the
flowrate. Assume a constant amount of wastewater to be pumped out of the equalization tank per hour
in the 24hour period. Determine the volume of the equalization tank (M3)

Average Time Average

flowrate period flowrate
Time
period
(L / s) (L / s)

midnight Noon -
275 425
- 01 13
2-Jan 221 13 - 14 405
3-Feb 164 14 - 15 385
4-Mar 130 15 - 16 351
5-Apr 105 16 - 17 326
6-May 99 17 - 18 326
7-Jun 119 18 - 19 328
8-Jul 204 19 - 20 365
9-Aug 354 20 - 21 399
10-Sep 411 21 - 22 399
11-Oct 425 22 - 23 379
11 - 23 –
430 345
noon midnight

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Solution

1 2 3 4 5
Influent Effluent Cumulative Cumulative
Time
volume volume influent effluent
period
(m 3 ) (m 3 ) volume (m 3 ) volume (m 3 )
midnight -
990 1,105.5 990 1,105.50
1.00
1.00-2.00 795.6 1,105.5 1,785.60 2,210.99
2.00-3.00 590.4 1,105.5 2,376.00 3,316.48
3.00-4.00 468 1,105.5 2,844.00 4,421.96
4.00-5.00 378 1,105.5 3,222.00 5,527.45
5.00-6.00 356.4 1,105.5 3,578.40 6,632.94
6.00-7.00 428.4 1,105.5 4,006.80 7,738.43
7.00-800 734.4 1,105.5 4,741.20 8,843.92
8.00-9.00 1274.4 1,105.5 6,015.60 9,949.40

9.00-10.00 1479.6 1,105.5 7,495.20 11,054.89

10.00-
1530 1,105.5 9,025.20 12,160.38
11.00
11 - noon 1548 1,105.5 10,573.20 13,265.87
Noon - 13 1530 1,105.5 12,103.20 14,371.36
13 - 14 1458 1,105.5 13,561.20 15,476.84
14 - 15 1386 1,105.5 14,947.20 16,582.33
15 - 16 1263.6 1,105.5 16,210.80 17,687.82
16 - 17 1173.6 1,105.5 17,384.40 18,793.31
17 - 18 1173.6 1,105.5 18,558.00 19,898.80
18 - 19 1180.8 1,105.5 19,738.80 21,004.28
19 - 20 1314 1,105.5 21,052.80 22,109.77
20 - 21 1436.4 1,105.5 22,489.20 23,215.26
21 - 22 1436.4 1,105.5 23,925.60 24,320.75
22 - 23 1364.4 1,105.5 25,290.00 25,426.24
23 –
1242 1,105.5 26,532.00 26,532.00
midnight
Total 26532 26,532.00 - -

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Draw the graph and determine the volume

PRIMARY SEDIMENTATION

Primary sedimentation tanks are used for removal of settleable solids (90-95%).The process also
remove 20-35% of BOD and 5-65% of suspended solids
Primary sedimentation in a municipal wastewater treatment plant is generally plain sedimentation
without the use of chemicals. In treating certain industrial wastes chemically aided sedimentation may
be involved. In either case, it constitutes flocculent settling, and the particles do not remain discrete as
in the case of grit, but tend to agglomerate or coagulate during settling. Thus, their diameter keeps
increasing and settlement proceeds at an over increasing velocity. Consequently, they trace a curved
profile. The settling tank design in such cases depends on both surface loading and detention time.

Long tube settling tests can be performed in order to estimate specific value of surface loading and
detention time for desired efficiency of clarification for a given industrial wastewater using
recommended methods of testing. Scale-up factors used in this case range from 1.25 to 1.75 for the
overflow rate, and from 1.5 to 2.0 for detention time when converting laboratory results to the prototype
design.
For primary settling tanks treating municipal or domestic sewage, laboratory tests are generally not
necessary, and recommended design values given in tables may be used.

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Table 1: Design criteria for sedimentation tanks
Parameters Values
Range typical
Detention time (hr) 1.5-2.5 2
Overflow rate(m3/m2.d)
• Average flow 30-50
• Peak flow 80-120 90
Weir loading (m3/m2.d) 120-450 200
Dimensions(m)
• depth 2-6 3.5
• length 15-100 30
• Width 3-30 10
Bottom slope for manual sludge removal 1:300
Bottom slope for mechanical sludge removal 1:600

Circular
Depth 3-5 4.5
Diameter 3-60 30

NB: These design parameters change slightly based on site-specific conditions

Tank configuration and components

Different names can be used to refer to primary treatment tanks. They are alternately called clarifiers,
sedimentation basins, or settling tanks. Despite its location on a treatment plant or its shape, the purpose
of all settling tanks is the same - to reduce wastewater velocity and mixing so that settling and flotation
will occur. It is important to realize that only the settleable solids are removed in the settling tank.
Lighter solid material remains in the wastewater or floats to the surface and must be removed through
different means. Primary tanks are typically located right after preliminary treatment. If the primary
tank is not removing enough settleable solids from the wastewater, increased oxygen demand can result
and inhibit later biological processes. However, if too many settleable solids are removed, there may
not be enough organic matter for the biological system to perform properly.
Settling tanks are simply large tanks designed to distribute flow uniformly throughout the tank. This
uniform distribution helps reduce the wastewater velocity and amount of mixing equally throughout
the tank. Under these conditions, solid materials, which were carried in suspension by the waste flow,

16
will settle to the bottom as sludge or float to the surface as scum. Colloidal, or finely divided, solids
that will not settle and dissolved solids will remain in the liquid and be carried on for further processing.

Components of a sedimentation tank

Inlet
The settling tank inlet slows down the velocity of wastewater entering the tank and distributes the flow
across the tank. Settling tanks can use a variety of inlet structures. The inlet structure reduces the
velocity of wastewater entering the tank and distributes the flow across the tank. There can be serious
consequences if the inlet does not distribute the flow evenly throughout the tank. If the speed of the
wastewater is greater in some areas of the tank than others, a condition called "short-circuiting" can
occur. In places where the wastewater is moving faster, particles that are suspended in the wastewater
may not have a chance to settle out. They will be held in suspension and will pass through to the
discharge end of the tank. It is desirable to maintain even flow distribution to prevent short-circuiting
in the settling tank.

Settling
If the flow is properly distributed, then the effective separation of settleable solids from wastewater in
the settling tank can occur. The best way to obtain this separation is to allow the liquid to remain very
still for several hours. This allows most solids in the liquid to settle to the bottom of the settling tank,
where they are removed for further processing. Any solids that float to the surface are removed by scum
collection devices and further processed. Most organic settleable solids weigh only slightly more than
water. So they settle very slowly. Settling tanks are designed with this fact in mind. The velocity of the
liquid in the settling tank is slowed down to a fraction, approximately 0.001 m/s , of its influent velocity
as compared to about 0.3 m/s in the grit chamber, and at least 0.6 m/s in the sewer. As the wastewater
moves across the settling tank, heavier suspended solids have enough time to settle to the bottom of the
tank. Some of the lighter suspended solids will also settle, but others, are so light, that they pass
completely through the tank. Again, for proper settling to occur in the settling tank, the liquid must
move very slowly. The wastewater must stay in the settling tank long enough for solid particles to
settle. If the tank is too small for the volume of flow entering it, too many particles will exit with the
tank effluent.

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Detention Time
The length of time that wastewater stays in the settling tank is called the detention time. Approximately
1– 2 hours of detention time are needed in the primary settling tank. The exact time depends on many
factors such as the influent flow rate and the removal requirements needed by downstream processes.
If the detention time is too long, solids may become septic and float to the surface. High suspended
solids levels in the primary effluent and subsequent odors may result.

Overflow Rate
The surface overflow rate is a measure of how rapidly wastewater moves through the settling tank.
When we talk about surface overflow rate, we are referring to the number of liters for each square meter
per day. In other words, we are looking at the hydraulic wastewater load for each square meter, of
surface area in the settling tank each day. This diagram (Figure below) might help you understand what
we mean by the surface overflow rate. Imagine placing a net on the surface of the settling tank liquid.
Each space in this net equals one square meter. Focus on just one of these squares. Surface overflow
rate is the number of liters flowing through one square meter each day.

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Outlet
Wastewater leaves the settling tank by flowing over weirs and into effluent troughs or launders, as
shown in Figure below. The purpose of a weir is to allow a thin film of the clearest water to overflow
the tank. A high velocity near the weir can pull settling solids into the effluent. The length of the weir
in the settling tank compared to the flow is important in preventing high velocities. A baffle at the outlet
end of a rectangular tank or around the edge of a circular tank helps prevent short-circuiting and floating
solids from leaving the tank.

𝑤𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤

Weir overflow rate = 𝐿𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑟

Sludge and scum removal

The sludge accumulated at the bottom and scum at the top should be removed manually or using
relevant equipment.

Design examples of primary sedimentation tank

A rectangular primary clarifier for a domestic wastewater plant is to be designed to settle 2000m3/day
with the overflow of 32m3/m2.day.The tank is 2.4 deep and 4m wide. Determine its length and
detention time.

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Solution

Example: 2
Design the primary sedimentation tank to treat wastewater with average flow rate of 10 MLD
and peak flow of 22.5 MLD. Assume surface overflow rate = 40m3/m2.d .Detention time =1.5hours
and weir loading rate =200m3/m2.d.Assume a width of 6m.
Solution
10000
The surface area of the tank = = 250 𝑚2
40
22500
Check for surface overflow at peak flow = = 90 m3/m2.d, ok
250

Assume a width of 6 m, therefore theoretical length =250/6 = 41.66, > than 30m
Hence, provide two tanks in parallel
The length of each tank = 41.66/2 =20.83 plus 2m for inlet and 2m for outlet provision

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Total length = 20.83+2+2=24.83m

To determine the depth:

Flow rate *detention time = volume
10*103 *1.5/24 = 625m3
Depth =volume (m3)/surface area (m2) = 625/250 =2.5m
Total depth =2.5 plus 0.5 free board and 0.25m from sludge =2.5 +0.5+0.25 =3.25m

Flow through velocity

Velocity = discharge/cross sectional area
Average discharge = 10000/ (24*3600) =0.116m3/s
Cross sectional area = (2no*6width *2.5 depth) =30m2
Velocity =0.116/30 =.0039m/s < 0.001m/s
At peak flow =0.26/30 =0.0087m/s < 0.001m/s

Length of weir = flow rate / weir loading rate = 10000/200 = 50 m

Hence, provide 25m for each sedimentation tank.

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