Though full scale water treatment plants operate with turbulent flocculation, previous flocculation research has been conducted using a laminar flow tube flocculator. Our goal is to design create and test a turbulent tube flocculator for lab scale research to better mimic the processes that occur at full scale plants. With this information, we can hopefully better understand the process of flocculation and make design improvements to improve flocculator performance. 

The Summer 2013 team developed an optimal design for the flocculator. The basic design is to have a stacked vertical coil of tubes and to use metal bars and PVC to clamp the tubing to create flow expansions which will create turbulence.  

The team will perform experiments controlling temperature, pressure, influent turbidity and measure effluent turbidity, floc size distribtuion and pC*.

Members

Felice Chan
Stephen Jacobs
Jonathan Christensen
Ana Oliveira

Documents