Plate Settler Spacing
The purpose of this experiment is produce significantly low turbidity water with a limited area of active lamella. The important design parameters for decreasing space over which the particles settle in the sedimentation tank will be examined throughout the experiment. For Summer 2008 circular straws, varying in diameter were used as the settling media. The experimental apparatus for Fall 2008 will be an improvement on that design. Determining the feasibility of using this type of geometry in the sedimentation tanks was also a focus of this projectplate settler spacing research team is committed to providing a deeper understanding of the sedimentation process.
AguaClara uses parallel plate-settlers, also called 'lamella', in its sedimentation tanks. The various parameters of the lamella (i.e. the inter-lamella spacing, the plate length, the influent/effluent flow rates) are dependent on one another. Accounting for these parameters, the goal of our experiments is to produce significantly low turbidity water with a limited area of active lamella.