Fun Facts about Tube Floc
What is a floc?
Dirty particles in the water are moving at different speed
What is a tube floc?
How many setup do we have currently?
So far, we have two setups as you can read here and here.
What cool experiments have we done so far?
We've done so many cool things. Apart from collecting settling datasets to the process controller and analyze them, we also took videos and planning to track how the particles move and behave.
Checklist for the setup
- Make sure all connection is tight.
- Make sure that there is no clogging in the flocculator and pump tubes
- Get rid of bubbles in the flocculator tube
- Check the pump tube size and the setting on the pump panel
- Check if the tube all goes in the correct direction, especially if you have made changes with the tube setup
- The connections are easily unplugged, so check them out!
Major Components
- Computer with process controller installed
- Alum stock solution
- Clay stock solution
- 3 pumps - alum, raw water, and clay solution
- Influent and Effluent turbidimeter
- Elongated vertical flocculator
- Settling column (long glass tube)
- Pressure sensor
Stock preparation
|
Amount of water (L) |
Amount stock added (g) |
Stock concentration (g/L) |
Clay |
11 |
22.2 |
2.02 |
Alum |
11 |
16.5 |
1.5 |
Humic acid1 |
|
0.375 |
0.0035 |
1 Humic acid is added to the clay stock solution
Checklist for the Process Controller
The details on Process Controller can be viewed here
- Check the source page
- Check the location of data stored
Troubleshooting
What to do if you don't see any flocs forming in the settling tube?
- Always check tube connections and make sure there is no clogging in the connections.
- Check the stock solutions. Make sure that there is no sedimentation occurring in clay and alum stock solutions.
- Check the influent turbidimeter. If it displays lower turbidity, then check the clay and alum stock solutions. Check if the flow coming out of the pumps. Check clay/alum flowrates with timer and graduated cylinder. Change in the process controller so that it will give correct value of clay/alum.
- Check bubbles in the floc and settling tubes, especially at the influent of the settling tube. Flocs could get trapped in the bubbles.
How to manually clean tube flocculator? (Credit to Monroe)
- Turn the Process Controller OFF
- Prepare a small peg by the size of tube inner diameter by cutting the sponge
- Insert the peg at the starting point of the tube flocculator
- Press the pressure bottle (200kPa) to move the peg in
- Turn the Process Controller ON (State 2 - Clean Flocculator)
- Watch it does its magic
- Turn the Process Controller OFF when it almost reaches the end of tube.