Pilot Plant Glossary of Terms
Baffles
Alum
Alum is short for aluminum sulfate. This is the chemical we use to form flocs. This charges the particles and helps them stick together after they hit each other in the flocculator.
Lamella
Lamella are thin, gill-shaped plates held together. In sedimentation tanks, they are placed near the top of the free surface and are used to help flocs settle to the bottom of the tank.
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Cross-Section of a Sed Tank with Lamella
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A Sed Tank with Lamella in the Pilot Plant
Flocculation
The process during which particles in water form little clumps by bumping into each other and sticking together with the help of a coagulant (a substance that causes particles to stick to each other). In the pilot plant, flocculation occurs in the flocculation tank.
Floc
A clump of particles stuck together with coagulant. Visible flocs in the pilot plant range in size from that of a pinhead to marble-size. Large flocs look like grayish-brown lumps that you could pick up, but they usually disintegrate upon touch.
Sedimentation
The process by which flocs settle to the bottom of a tank, leaving clear, clean water on top.
Turbidity
A measurement of how dirty water is. Turbid water looks very cloudy and hazy because of all the small particles floating around. Turbidity is how we measure the quality of our water because it tells us how many particles we have removed. It is measured in units of NTU.
Sludge Blanket