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Clear Well Backwash System Research

Introduction and Objectives

The purpose of this research subteam is to develop a sustainable backwash system for granular filtration, which will be incorporated into the AguaClara water treatment process. The backwash system must meet the following requirements:

  • When incorporated with the current AguaClara water treatment process, the granular filtration with the clear well backwash system must consistently meet the target effluent goal of 1 NTU or lower.
  • Operate without electricity.
  • Construction material must be relatively cheap and readily available in Honduras.
  • Operation costs must be minimal.
  • The filtration and backwash system design must be simple in order to facilitate operation and maintenance as much as possible.
  • The filtration and backwash system must be open so that the operator can easily observe the workings of the system.

Concept of Operation

Our Clear Well Backwash system is completely gravity-driven. Our entire filtration system will consist of two granular filter beds, one clear well, an outlet for effluent water for distribution, an outlet for dirt particles removed from water, and a system of valves to control the flow of water between the above mentioned different components shown in Figure 1. (Your visual describes the system but could be improved.) In the AguaClara water treatment plant, the filtration system will be the final treatment process after the sedimentation tanks. During regular filtration operations, effluent from the sedimentation tank will flow through the filter which is set at a lower elevation than the sedimentation tank. The filter media is a rapid sand filter composed of a bed of anthracite coal, sand, and gravel entrapping colloid sized particles through a variety of mechanisms in the pore space. The effectiveness of the filter will be determinate in the final clarity of the water that is sent to the distribution system.

For filtered water to accumulate in the clear well, effluent water from the filter bed is diverted to the clear well by closing the valve leading to the distribution system and opening the valve leading to the clear well leading to the accumulation of water in the clear well after filtration. The water level in the filter will eventually rise until the elevation of water in the clear well is sufficient for backwashing. Consequently, one of the tests of feasibility is to determine the elevation differences between the sedimentation tank, clear well, and the granular filter for backwashing to be effective. An outrageously large difference would make this system unfeasible. (Expand slightly. What is an outrageous difference and why would it make the system unfeasible) When the clear well is filled to the proper elevation, the valve leading to the clear well will be closed off. 

h5. Backwash Operation

When the filter becomes clogged with dirt and needs to be cleaned, the plant operator will shut off the flow entering the filter and allow the remaining water drain out. Next, the clear well valve is opened and the backwash water from the clear well will backwash the filter bed. This water fluidizes sand particles in the filter, loosening the dirt particles caught in the sand carries away the dirt particles into the backwash pipe. The backwash pipe will be at such an elevation so that the larger and heavier sand particles will remain in the sand filter. The sand bed will expand around 30% for optimal cleaning. Once finished, the operator will close the backwash valve and begin filtration again or recharge the clear well.

(This section would be slightly better organized if you broke the section up into subheadings for each point. I gave an example above.)





Figure 1: Clear Well Basic Concept

Method

Our attempt to validate our clear well design consisted of three stages: 1) review of existing filtration/backwash technology and research, 2) development of a MATHCAD file that can generate backwash and filtration design parameters for both an actual AguaClara plant and a bench-scale or pilot plant model of the plant for testing and 3) experiments of bench-scale or pilot plant model to confirm design success.

During the first stage, we conducted a literature and online review of existing filtration technology and research. We determined the flow rate needed to sufficiently expand and clean the sand filter bed. This will help us determine how high the clear well needs to be above the filter, how large the flow pipes should be, and how much water should be in the clear well.
Research of Existing Work.

Important parameters for the final design of the filtration and backwash system for an actual AguaClara plant and for bench-scale or pilot plant-scale testing are in the following MATHCAD file.
MATHCAD File and description.

The accuracy of our MATHCAD generated design parameters is based upon empirical fluidization velocity equations. We developed a bench-scale model of our filtration system and conducted an experiment measuring the expansion of a filter bed as backwash velocity is varied. We then compared the empirically calculated fluidization velocities with the actual fluidization velocities required.
Fluidization Velocity Experiment.

Results and Discussion

We had mixed results with regards to Weber's equation for filter bed expansion. At low levels of filter bed expansion, the Weber equation accurately predicted the fluidization velocity required to achieve the targeted bed expansion. As the target bed expansion increased, so did the degree of error. At 9% expansion, the degree of error was at 14%. At 38% expansion, the degree of error was at 37%.

We believe the following to be sources of error:

  • Human error: Despite our best attempt at being consistent (by measuring and marking heights on the test tube, while also holding a ruler on the test tube wall), there will always be human error in observing the bed expansion visually. The next expansion experiment should use a camera so there is record of the heights at each flow rate, and also tape a ruler to the filtration bed wall, rather than holding the ruler or drawing it on.
  • Wall Friction: We can attribute the increase in error as flow rate increased due to the increase in wall friction on the test vial. We can minimize the wall and tube friction by increasing the size of our bench scale experiments.
  • Sand Properties & Parameters: We might have used an incorrect D60 and porosity for the filter bed in our equations. For the next experiment those parameters should be found out for the sand or material used by using a sieve.
  • Preferential flow: Despite our best attempt to keep the test tube as level as possible, we might have introduced preferential flow in our experiment causing an unbalanced backwash flow. In the future, two levels could be clamped on the sides of the filter walls to ensure it is level. A further precaution would be to use two clamps, rather than one.
  • Expansion Headloss: The accuracy of our model also required the headloss occurring through the expanded bed to be more or less constant, which we did not have time to test (but is part of Recommended Future Research below). Testing it would involve putting a pressure sensor into the system, connected on either end of the filter.

Recommended Future Research

Future Research should be devoted to the following objectives:

  • Repeating the Weber Fluidization Velocity experiment with a larger scale bench model to see if error decreases.
  • Repeating the Weber Fluidization Velocity experiment with multiple layer filter media.
  • Testing the headloss in the system through the expanded bed to ensure it is constant
  • Create pilot scale model to determine any remaining error in the design before creating a plant scale
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