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This summer we will be designing a turbulent tube flocculator to mimic what happens at full scale plants. We will follow the CEE 4540 flocculator design equations and modify them for a circular geometry and find materials to build the flocculator. . By setting a targent Reynolds number and energy dissipation rate, and H/S ratio for efficient flocculation, the other dimensions of the flocculator can be determined. We will also come up with a plan for constructing the flocculator and research different materials required for fabrication.
Fall 2013 Contributions
This fall we will be finalizing materials and design needed for the flocculator and then building it. We need to figure out whether enough water can be supplied in the Hollister B60 lab and find a way to control the flow through the flocculator. We also hope to find a way to measure residual turbidity. After the design from Summer 2013 is finalized, we will purchase a few sample materials to determine whether they will work. A large part of the semester will be spent constructing the flocculator which involves creating a base and supports, and finding adequate clamping materials to create constrictions.
Spring 2014 Contributions
This spring we will be continuing work with the turbulent flocculator. One of the first tasks we were hoping to accomplish is to try to get the air bubbles out of the flocculator. We will also be designing a SWaT system, or a settled water turbidity analysis system. The SWaT will consist of a tube sedimentation tank and a tube settler. The water will then either be analyzed with a turbidimeter or go to waste. Ultimately we hope to test floc breakup theory, to determine whether it is better to break up flocs or to let them grow.
Fall 2014 Contributions
This fall we will be working on updating the turbulent tube flocculator apparatus and process controller file. We also performed a clay test to determine that the turbulent tube flocculator flows largely like a plug flow reactor with some dispersion.
Spring 2015 Contributions
This semester I will be continuing work on the Turbulent Tube Flocculator subteam. We have updated our process controller method file to increment through a range of coagulant doses and we will be using this file to (hopefully) run experiments.