ENVE 301

Environmental Engineering Unit Operations

Lecture 10
Design of Coagulation and Flocculation Units

SPRING 2014
Assist. Prof. A. Evren Tugtas
 Coagulation

Coagulation unit is used to achieve:

 Complete mixing of the coagulant and water

 Destabilization of colloidal particles and

 Early stages of floc formation

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 Coagulation
Mixing is achieved by:
 Hydraulic mixing

devices

 Mechanical mixing units

Design Criteria:
G: 700-1000 sec-1 Ref:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/R4082E/r4082e06.
Detention time: 20-60 sec htm

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 Coagulation
 Coagulation units may be
single or double
compartment
 Single compartment basins
are usually circular or square
 Liquid depth: 1-1.25 times
the basin diameter or basin
width
 Vortexing can be minimized
by baffles (10% of tank
diameter) •Metcalf & Eddy, Inc. (2003). Wastewater Engineering-
Treatment and Reuse, 4th ed., McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.
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 Flocculation

 Destabilized colloids may still settle very slowly

 Flocculation is a slow mixing process to bring the
desabilized particles in contact to promote their
agglomeration.

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 Flocculation

 Devices used to accomplish mixing required for

flocculation;
 mechanically driven paddles
 baffled channels
 Design Criteria
 GT=10-105
 G=10-75s-1
 t=10-30 min

Ref: Davis M.L. Water and Wastewater Treatment: Design Principles and
Practice. 2010. McGrawHill 6
 Flocculation

 Degree of flocculation depends on

 Floc characteristics
 Velocity gradient
 GT value (dimensionless parameter)
 Magnitute of GT is related to total number of
collisions
 High GT value  large number of collisions

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 Flocculation

 If G is too great;
 Shear forces will prevent the formation of a large floc
 If G is too insufficient;
 Adequate interparticular collisions will not occur
 Proper floc will not form
 If the water is difficult to coagulate, floc will be
fragile and a final G < 5mps/m may be required.
 If the water coagulates easily, final G as high as
10 mps/m can be used
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 Flocculation
 Mixing in an individual flocculator basin 
hydraulic flow regime approaching complete mix
condition.
 Plug-flow conditions are desirable to minimize
short-circuiting of the flow
 Short circuiting a portion of the incoming flow
traverses the chamber in a much shorter time than
the nominal detention period nominal detention
period

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 Flocculation
 Flocculation units are usually designed to provide for
taperred flocculation
 In tappered flocculation flow is subjected to decreasing
G values as it passes through the flocculation basin
 Taperred flow;
 promotes plug flow through the system (ensure that all
particles are exposed to mixing for a significant amount of the
total detention time
 allows the G value to be decreased from one compartment to
next as the average floc size increases.

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 Taperred Flocculation
 Rapid build up of small dense floc, which subsequently
aggregates at lower G values into larger , dense, rapid settling
floc particles.
 High G provided during the first third of the flocculation
period
 Lower G value during the next third
 Much lower G value during the last third

Ref:
http://water.me.vccs.edu/math/flocculatio
n_math2.html
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 Tappered Flocculation

 Typical Series of G values

 50, 20, 10 mps/s
 Optimum flocculation requires tappered
flocculation
 Power input can be changed using variable speed
motors.
 Compartments of a flocculation unit is often
separated by baffles

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•American Water Works
Association. Water Treatment
Plant Design. 4th ed. McGraw
Hill, 2005

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 Cross Flow Pattern
 In cross flow pattern, blades are perpendicular to flow.
 Taperred flocculation can be achieved by varying
 the paddle size
 the number of paddles
 diameter of the paddle wheels on the various horizontal shafts
 the rotational speed of the various horizontal shafts

Ref: Reynolds, T. D., and P. A.

Richards. Unit Operations and
Processes in Environmental
Engineering. 2nd ed. Boston, MA:
PWS Publishing Company, 1996.

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 Axial Flow Pattern

 Blades are parallel to the flow

 Taperred flocculation may be achieved by varying
 the paddle size
 number of paddles on each paddle wheel

Ref: Reynolds, T. D., and P. A.

Richards. Unit Operations and
Processes in Environmental
Engineering. 2nd ed. Boston, MA:
PWS Publishing Company, 1996.

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Vertical Paddle Wheel Flocculators

Look at this web

site:
http://myersequipm
ent.com/jms_floccul
ators.html
Ref: http://myersequipment.com/jms_flocculators.html
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Horizontal Paddle Wheel Flocculators

Look at this web

site:
http://myersequipm
ent.com/jms_floccul
ators.html
Ref: http://myersequipment.com/jms_flocculators.html

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 Baffled Chanelled Flocculators

Lecture notes of Assist. Prof. Bilge Alpaslan Kocamemi

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 Baffled Chanelled Flocculators

 Baffled channel flocculators operate under plug-

flow conditions
 Short-circuiting is prevented by the use of baffled
passages
 Baffled structures cause headlosses. Therefore,
baffled flocculators should be used for large
treatment plants with flow rates higher than
10000m3/d.

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 Number of Baffles required to achieve desired G

Lecture notes of Assist. Prof.

Bilge Alpaslan Kocamemi 20
 Number of Baffles required to achieve desired G

Lecture notes of Assist. Prof.

Bilge Alpaslan Kocamemi 21
 Water velocity in both horizontal flow and vertical flow
units generally varies 0.1-0.3 m/sec
 Detention time varies from 15-30 min
 G = 10-100 sec -1
 Tapered energy flocculation in baffled channels generally
is achieved by varying the spacing of the baffles;
 Close spacing of baffles for high velocity gradients
 Wider spacing of baffles for low velocity gradients

Lecture notes of Assist. Prof.

Bilge Alpaslan Kocamemi
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Ref: Davis M.L. Water and
Wastewater Treatment: Design
Principles and Practice. 2010.
McGrawHill

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