Challenges for Spring 2009 Pilot Plant Team
Number of team members needed:
Team Members:
Jeff Katz (jak232)
Art Shull (avs32)
Eladio Lopez (el447)
Rustom Meyer (rlm56)
Michael Liu (ml627)3 returning and 1-2 new members
Important team member skills:
Returning Members
- Familiarity with Aguaclara Project
- CEE 4540
It would be helpful to have a "handy" person on the team that feels comfortable using power tools to do stuff. (Not super complicated work, just some comfort).
Challenges
Floc Tank
- Team members should test consecutive alum doses in order to familiarize themselves with the tank and floc formation
- Compare uniform and non-uniform baffle configuration results from the flocculation tank with high incoming turbidity
Tube Flocculator
- Alter the tube flocculat set-up to minimize air trapped from joints and it has a more permanent location at the plant.
- Set up FReTA to be used with the tube flocculator
- Use FReTA to compare settling velocities at different points in the tube flocculator
- Compare raw water readings from the Pilot Plant FReTA with the laboratory results
Sed Tank
- Discover how much time it takes to form a sludge blanket.
- Can a sludge blanket form if the lamella are present? Can the lamella be designed differently so that this is possible?
- What is the best way to drain a sed tank so as to cause the least amount of distrubance and water waste. How often would this need to occur?
- What else could be done to optimize the sed tanks?
- Are the two sed tanks equal? Is the tank turbidity comparable? Are flocs remaining equally intact from the flocculator to the tanks?
Goals
- Familiarize new members with plant and plant processes
- Get the plant up and running without leaks and problems
- Design and build new, robust baffle system
- Install a dose controller to vary alum dosing linearly with plant flow rate
- Make Process Controller remotely accessible so alum dose can be changed off-site
- Take turbidity profiles of the flocculator under different arrangements, including tapered and non-tapered baffle spacing
- Set up FReTA to be used with the tube flocculator
- Use FReTA to compare settling velocities at different points in the tube flocculator
- Compare raw water readings from the Pilot Plant FReTA with the laboratory results
- After completion of flocculation goals, sed tank research will commence