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A design case is being analysed Flocculation CFD simulation. The compiled paper is available at the bottom of the page. The limitations are stipulated by considering the design in current Agua Clara plants. The height of the flocculator in the plant cannot be as low as the optimal ratio H/S = 3 because the depth in the flocculator has to match the sedimentation tank for construction of the plant. The width in the flocculator is fixed to allow people to fit in the baffle channel. CFD cases for higher H/S ratios show the greatest amount turbulent energy dissipation occurs after the turns in the flocculator and decreases as the water travels up or down the length of the baffle. Tall baffles allow the turbulent energy dissipation from the turn to decrease substantially before the next turn in the flocculator. Collision potential of flocs is dependent on the turbulent energy dissipation, so the turns in the flocculator induce many collisions of flocs and during the length of the tall baffles there are fewer collisions of flocs. A flocculator with high H/S has decreased collision potential between turns.
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This is the timescale for the simulation. The Fluent user manual states to use a fraction of the time scale for the time step size and a fraction of 10 of the timescale is a good time step size. The number of time steps gives the time elapsed in the flow. 200 time steps are used to give 20 sec worth of flow. The amount of iterations per time step is defaulted at 20. Iterations per time step between 60 and 150 were used for the multiple simulations with different positions of shapes.
Simulation of the Plate in Flocculator
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The generation of an energy dissipation zone can be imagined as a nozzle ejecting flow. A smaller nozzle ejects disturbances that decay faster than a larger nozzle. In turbulence, larger eddies last longer than smaller eddies, and a larger nozzle creates larger eddies. A larger flow spacing (nozzle) for the obstructions may create a larger energy dissipation zone (that compares with the energy dissipation zone after a turn in the flocculator). The next step is evaluating having half of the circle on either side of the wall at some position instead of the circle obstructing the center of the channel.