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
Team Members
Sara Schwetschenau
T. David McEvoy
Rebecca Thompson
Meeting: Thursdays at 2:30pm and other times TBA
Motivation & Objective
The main objective for this semester is to create a reliable testing set-up that allows us to draw a conclusion about the efficiency of tapered flocculation in dynamic environments.
Semester Research Goals
There are several priorities that we have for this semester. Before initiating testing of the model, we have some preliminary goals to improve the laboratory setup.
It was determined that the openings between the sections of the flocculator were too small. We would like to make these openings larger by Friday, February 9.
In addition to these initial improvements and testing of the set-up, we also have research goals related to the tapered flocculation model. Our biggest goal is to establish a reliable experimental testing procedure. This method should include being able to visually analyze and classify, via a standardized reference, the flocculation in the tank.
Currently, sampling takes place in three adjustable locations within the tank. Before analysis in the turbidity meter, the water enters a long glass tube which is meant to act as a "miniature sedimentation tank". However, previous testing has indicated that a significant amount of floc reached the turbidimeters. We would like to improve the method of sedimentation before the water gets to the turbidimeter. We will try to do this by adding insulation to the exposed tubing by Monday, February 18th.
We will have comparitive data of the before and after adding insulation by Monday, February 25th. During this period at the beginning of the semester, we will also be working on design details of the sedimentation tank. During this time, we would also like to implement better lighting in the plant, and develop more detailed procedure for quantifying floc size in various parts of the sedimentation tank.
A main goal of the testing is to develop a profile of floc formation along the length of the large-scale tapered flocculator.
If necessary, we may augment the turbidity level of the incoming water to simulate the higher turbidity levels found in Honduras.
We would also like to test a set-up that includes obstacles between the baffles. The idea behind this modification would be to make the velocity gradients more even throughout the sections. Previous AguaClara research has indicated that velocity gradients were much higher around the turns than along the length of the baffles.
Timetable
Date | Goal |
|---|---|
09-Feb-08 | Resize openings between flocculator sections |
11-Feb-08 | Begin running current set-up |
18-Feb-08 | Preliminary Data Collected, Insulation added to Outside of Settling Tubes |
25-Feb-08 | Comparative Data: Before/ After adding insulation to Settling Tubes |
h.5 Gantt Chart
| Gallery |
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Past Research
In the Spring '07 semester, the pilot plant was designed and constructed.
in the Summer of '07, adjustments were made to the set-up and testing of the uniformly-spaced baffle design was done.
In the Fall '07 semester, a tapered-baffle set-up was designed, constructed, and installed.
The final papers from each semester can be found in the attachments.