Pilot Plant
Overview
(team member Jeffrey Katz operating plant)
The pilot plant project started when the spring 2007 Aguaclara team built a vertical flow hydraulic flocculator at the Cornell University Water Treatment Plant (CUWFP). The vertical flow hydraulic flocculator was built as a small scale version of those being used by AguaClara in Honduras. The vertical flow hydraulic flocculator has been used to test the effects of tapered flocculation on floc formation. The project has evolved since the first flocculator was built. There are two sedimentation tanks at the CUWFP, which have been used to test the combination of sludge blankets and lamella to optimize settling. A tube flocculator has also been constructed to examine the behavior of raw water during flocculation. In spring of 2009, an adjustable baffle system was constructed for the hydraulic flocculator to allow testing of many different baffle spacings.
The Automated Flow Control Team is a related team.
Research Groups
General Information
For New Members and Future Teams
Where to start.
Glossary
A glossary of terms and components frequently encountered in the pilot plant
How to Run and Maintain the Pilot Plant
Problems that members have previously encountered and suggested solutions.
Construction History and Design
How various parts of the pilot plant were built and their design specifications.
External Links
Useful information and links.
1 Comment
user-9c36d
There are two driving motivations behind our flocculation/sedimentation research. The first is to create designs that are economical and efficient. The second is to consistently produce water that is less than 1 NTU. Of those two goals the second goal is the most important now. We need to understand whether it is the flocculation process or the sedimentation process that is limiting the performance of the AguaClara plants. Once we assess which until process is limiting performance, then we need to develop methods to improve overall plant performance with the goal of producing water that is less than 1 NTU.
The failure of the sedimentation tubes is interesting. It is possible that temperature induced density gradients cause secondary flows in the sedimentation tubes that result in poor sedimentation. The temperature difference between the water and the air might cause this problem. You should be able to see the density currents by carefully watching flocs as they travel in the sedimentation tube. If density currents are a problem, then we must modify the sampling technique. One possibility is to fully submerge the sedimentation tubes to eliminate temperature gradients.
Before constructing the sed tank the addition to the pilot plant must be fully designed. The connection between the floc tank and the sed tank must be designed to not break up the flocs.
Check with CUWFP personnel before conducting any dye tests.