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This semester, the Sedimentation Tank Hydraulics team examined the effectiveness of the retrofitted Marcala sedimentation tank. We also then acquired images for various hindered settling velocities and complete settling curves from this data allowed us to better understand hydraulic processes within a floc blanket. Optimal alum dose was also studied. A main focus of the second half of this semester's research was the design of the the shape and wasting of the floc hopper, which we proved to be effective at controlling the height of a floc blanket when the accumulated flocs were drained at an adequately high flow rate. Additional experiments were run that tested "seeding" the tank with an initial known volume of flocculated sludge and testing the growth rate of the sludge in the floc hopper to understand how width of the floc hopper affects sludge consolidation rate.
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