Tube Flocculator

Team members: Ian Tse, Gemma Kite, Caroline Yoo and Wan

Objective and Motivations

Flocculation is an important process to water treatment. Understanding this process and the various parameters that control the mechanics behind flocculation is important in order to achieve faster, cheaper water treatment using the least amount of space. The tube flocculator team is doing specific research in the laboratory that will hopefully be applied to AguaClara technology in the near future.

For the Spring 2008 semester, the Tube Floc team will be continuing the research that was done in the Fall of 2007. We have developed semester research goals located below and a time-table for accomplishing our tasks this semester.

Previous Research

Our previous research prior to Spring 2008 includes revamping the flocculator setup, conducting experiments that change variables such as influent turbidity, flocculator flow rate, and alum dose, and a heat and dye test.

Spring Semester 2008 Research Goals

The team has discussed and agreed on several important goals to focus on for the Spring semester 2008:

1. Analyze the data from the Fall Semester 2007 and make solid conclusions. The team will look into further analytical tools such as Excel, MatLab, and MathCAD to handle and display the data in a better, more user friendly format. The team last semester found that the current MathCAD file is hard to use, for example if the user wants to isolate one run in a series of iterated experiments or compare certain runs to each other on the same graph.
2. Develop models to describe what is happening in the flocculator. The team will use this to determine what parameters are important in regulating the flocculation process.
3. Literature research to compare research, to see if previous similar experiments have been conducted, or for inspiration for further experiments or data analysis.
4. Find the relationship between G and G¿. This is the ultimate goal that the team is trying to determine, it will take a combination of data analyses, modeling, and maybe more experimentation.

Ongoing Research - Spring 2008

• Developing analytical methods for understanding flocculation/settling data from our tube flocculator apparatus
• Augmenting sampling frequency and accuracy of our nephthelometric turbidimeters by accessing raw voltages directly from sensor
• Reevaluating the efficacy of tube flocculator setup & designing methods to eliminate sedimentation within flocculator and maintaining quiescent conditions in the settling volume
• Determining settling velocity and floc concentration using PIV.
• Writing tutorials on Process Controller.

Future Research - Beyond Spring 2008

*Using PIV to evaluate floc formation from previous experiments: varying alum dose and varying G in flocculator
*Once the new IR turbidimeter is up and running, re-run previous experiments from last semester and compare settling curves
*Develop Process Controller Tutorial and excercises for future team members

Tube Floc Presentations

February 20, 2008
Our understandings on the tube floc research is summarized in the teach-in presentation.

March 25, 2008
Ken Brown's visit presentation

FAQs, Basics, and Cleaning

If you are new to the team or would like to know more about the upkeep of our experimental setup, check out the basics.