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The experimental apparatus is designed to be as robust as possible allowing for various experiments to be conducted using the same setup. The setup is made up of three unit processes, the constant turbidity control, flocculation, and settling columnsedimentation. Our focus for the experiment is on the settling column, where we will be varying certain parameters. We optimized the turbidity control system and the flocculator to create ideal conditions for floc blanket formation and sedimentation in the settling column. Each process is controlled by process controller, which is also used for data collection.
Schematic
Schematic Map for the Setup
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Some of the challenges that have presented in our system are: leaking tubes, water not flowing out of the top two of the six tube settlers (Paul wisely advised us to move our effluent tube to the top of the manifold which solved this problem), unsteady flow through tubes (to be addressed with added buffers), rapid decrease of the water-level in the clay/water bucket (maybe we will add a pump), inconsistent flow of waste from above floc blanket, and air bubbles entering flocculator from aeration in bucket (to be addressed by moving aerator).
We look forward to addressing these and other challenges very soon.
Future Work
Immediate future work will include documenting the process controller program that is in the process of being developed. Plans for the experimental process and data analysis can be found in the design section.
Although we have great ambition to vary flow rates, floc blanket depth, location of the tube settlers in relation to the floc blanket, and other parameters in the future, our team is currently determined to gather good data for our three tube diameters.
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