Weird Science:

Creation of a Model and Sizing Calculations

for Grit Removal Systems
Prepared by:
Smith & Loveless, Inc.

Presenter / Co-Author:
Ryan Asbury
Manger, Municipal Treatment Systems

Primary Author:
Lilunnahar Deju, PhD
Mechanical Design Engineer
•
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 Main Objectives
• Applying “particle settling theory” and sizing grit removal systems
using Surface Overflow Rate (SOR) is a recent trend
– Pretorius, C.F. (2012). A Review of Vortex Grit Basin Design.
– Chien, M.H., Borys A., and Wong, J.L. (2010). Computational
Fluid Dynamics Analysis of Vortex Grit Removal System.
– McNamara, B., Sherony, M., and Herrick, P. (2014). Relative
Performance of Grit Removal System.

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 Main Objectives
• Particle settling theory requires quiescent basins, laminar flow and
the separation force considered is gravity (vertical direction)
• Most grit removal units do not operate with quiescent basins or
laminar flow
• The particle separation that occurs in the PISTA® Grit Removal
System depends on the liquid flow pattern creating forces acting in
the tangential, vertical and radial directions.

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 Conventional Gravity Separation

• Stokes Law applies

• Requires laminar or quiescent flow
• Particle Reynolds Number ReP<<1

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 Force Balance on Particles
Gravity Separation Tank
• Forces in settling,
FD  Drag Force Vsettling
FB  Buoyancy Force
Fg  Gravity Force
• At equilibrium:
FD + FB = Fg
• Settling velocity for the intended particle is calculated using this
force balance
• The unit SOR is defined to size the gravity separation tank
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Movement in a Vortex Grit Chamber

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Movement in a Vortex Grit Chamber

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Grit Movement in a Channel or Chamber

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Particle Separation in the PISTA® Chamber
• Multiple forces act on the particle
• Particle separates from the vortex
fluid flow in radial direction. Particle Track
• Sizing the PISTA® using SOR
criteria is not accurate as it does not
consider the multiple forces or the
Fluid flow
radial movement of particle.

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 Particle Force Balance
in the PISTA® Chamber
Radial Direction Forces
• Drag force, FD
• Centrifugal Force , FC
• Buoyancy Force , FB

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 PISTA® Force Balance Equation™

𝝆𝝆𝒗𝒗𝒔𝒔,𝒓𝒓 𝟐𝟐 𝒖𝒖𝟐𝟐𝒕𝒕 𝒖𝒖𝟐𝟐𝒕𝒕 𝒅𝒅𝒗𝒗𝒓𝒓

𝑪𝑪𝑫𝑫 𝑨𝑨𝒑𝒑 − 𝝆𝝆𝒑𝒑 𝑽𝑽𝒑𝒑 + 𝝆𝝆𝑽𝑽𝒑𝒑 = �𝝆𝝆𝒑𝒑 + 𝜶𝜶𝒔𝒔 𝝆𝝆�𝑽𝑽𝒑𝒑
𝟐𝟐 𝒓𝒓 𝒓𝒓 𝒅𝒅𝒅𝒅

Drag Centrifugal Buoyancy Mass Acceleration

Force Force Force

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 Forces in Equilibrium
Solving the equation with the forces on the particle in equilibrium:
𝝆𝝆𝒗𝒗𝒔𝒔,𝒓𝒓 𝟐𝟐 𝒖𝒖𝟐𝟐𝒕𝒕
𝑪𝑪𝑫𝑫 𝑨𝑨𝒑𝒑 − �𝝆𝝆𝒑𝒑 − 𝝆𝝆�𝑽𝑽𝒑𝒑 =0
𝟐𝟐 𝑹𝑹
Then, solving the equation for the Radial Separation Velocity:

4 �𝜌𝜌𝑝𝑝 − 𝜌𝜌� 𝑢𝑢𝑡𝑡2

𝑣𝑣𝒔𝒔,𝑟𝑟 =� × × 𝑑𝑑𝑝𝑝 ×
3𝐶𝐶𝐷𝐷 𝜌𝜌 𝑅𝑅

which is defined as the velocity of the particle at which it separates from

the primary vortex in the radial direction.
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 Separation Parameters
• Particle separation occurs between the primary vortex flow and the vortex core
• Radial velocity (vr) is calculated at the critical radial separation distance (rw) by:
𝑄𝑄𝑠𝑠
𝑣𝑣𝑟𝑟 =
2𝜋𝜋𝑟𝑟𝑤𝑤 𝐻𝐻𝑒𝑒 PISTA® Chamber Primary Vortex

where,
Qs = Critical flow separation, f (Q). (Defined as the flow
volume that separates into the vortex core from the primary Vortex Core
vortex.)
R
rw = Critical Radial Separation Distance, f (R). (Defined
rw
as the distance where the separation takes place.

He = Active Fluid Layer Thickness, f (Water Height, H)

(Defined as the active fluid height at the separation point.)

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PISTA® Particle Diameter Equation™
The minimum size of particle that will separate from the flow is then defined by:

2
3𝐶𝐶𝐷𝐷 𝜌𝜌 𝑅𝑅 𝑄𝑄𝑠𝑠
𝑑𝑑𝑝𝑝 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 −𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 = × × 2×� �
4 �𝜌𝜌𝑝𝑝 − 𝜌𝜌� 𝑢𝑢 𝑡𝑡 2𝜋𝜋𝑟𝑟 𝐻𝐻
𝑤𝑤 𝑒𝑒

where,
rw= Critical radial separation distance, f (R)

He = Active fluid layer thickness, f (Water Height, H)

Qs = Critical flow separation, f (Q)

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 Calibration to Confirm Validity of
PISTA® Equations
• R&D testing completed on a full
scale 4 MGD PISTA® unit located
in the Smith & Loveless Inc. Grit
Removal Research Center
• Field testing and data collected on
PISTA® installations
• CFD simulation and analysis of
the PISTA®
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 CFD Analysis of PISTA®
• Multiphase physics was applied to resolve the interface between water and air.
• Particle transport model was used to determine grit path through PISTA® Unit
• Analysis was made using up to 15 million nodes for accuracy.
• Multiple runs on multiple unit sizes and flows were completed.

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CFD Analysis of PISTA®

Color
Micron 1000 300 212 150 106
US Mesh 18 50 70 100 140

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Video of Grit Travel in a PISTA® Unit

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 Conclusions
• Applying particle settling theory requires quiescent basins and laminar flow
characteristics
• Quiescent basins and laminar flow does not exist in most grit removal systems.
• Applying particle settling theory and sizing the flat floor, baffles PISTA® Grit
Removal Unit based on SOR is not accurate.
• The flow pattern in the flat floor, baffled PISTA® Grit Removal Unit creates
drag, centrifugal and buoyancy forces that act on the particles causing particle
separation from the fluid flow.

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 Thank You
• Chien, M.H., Borys A., and Wong, J.L. (2010). Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis of Vortex Grit Removal
System, 83th Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC 2010), New Orleans,
Louisiana, USA.
• Coulson, J.M., J.F. Richardson, J.R. Backhurst and J. H. Harker (1991), Chemical Engineering, Volume 2, 5th Edition,
The Bath Press, Bath, Great Britain.
• Fox, R. W., McDonald, A. T., & Pritchard, P. J. (2008). Introduction to fluid mechanics (7th ed.). Hoboken, N.J.:
Wiley.
• Gronowska, Marlena A., “Specification of forces in rotational separator.” Archives of Hydro-Engineering and
Environmental Mechanics 59.1-2 (2012): 49-62.
• Gronowska M. A., Sawicki J. M., Zima P., “Motion of suspended particles in vortex separator”, 13th International
Symposium on Water Management and Hydraulic Engineering, Sep 9-12, 2013, Bratislava, Slovakia.
• McNamara, B., Sherony, M., and Herrick, P. (2014). Relative Performance of Grit Removal System, 87th Water
Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC 2014), New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
• Pretorius, C.F. (2012). A Review of Vortex Grit Basin Design, 85th Water Environment Federation Technical
Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC 2012), New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
• Schiller, L., and Naumann, A. (1933). “Uber die grundlegenden Berechnungen bei der Schwekraftaubereitung.”
Journal of the Association of German Engineers, 77(12), 318-320.
• Shiao-Hung Chiang, Yuru Feng, and Daxin He (2003), Book Section “Liquid and solid separation”, Handbook of
Fluidization and Fluid-Particle Systems., Chemical Industries, CRC Press, Mar 2003,
doi:10.1201/9780203912744.ch28
• Soo S. L. (1967). Fluid Dynamics of Multiphase Systems, Blaisdell Publishing Company, Waltham, Massachusetts.
• U.S. EPA. (1987). Preliminary Treatment Facilities: Design and Operational Considerations. Washington, D.C.: U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
• Wilson, K. C., Addie, G. R., Sellgren, A., Clift, R. (2006), Book Section “Review of Fluid and Particle Mechanics”,
Slurry Transport Using Centrifugal Pumps, 2006, Springer US, Boston, MA, 15-50

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