Tapered vs. Uniform Baffle Configuration
Abstract
The vertical flow hydraulic flocculator has been used to test tapered and uniform baffle configurations during previous semesters, but the two configurations have never been compared with similar raw water conditions. For this reason the Fall 2008 Pilot Plant Flocculation team focused on determining which flocculation configuration is optimal. The tapered flocculation configuration model is based on the G-theta Model, while uniform configuration is based on the energy dissipation model. In our final results, the tapered baffle configuration produced marginally better turbidity than the uniform baffle configuration. However, due to low temperature conditions, the incoming turbidity was too low in order to produce conclusive results.