UNIVERSITI TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN

Tutorial 2: Water Quality & Physical Treatment

1. An unseeded BOD test is conducted on a polluted surface water sample by adding 100 mL to a
300 mL BOD bottle and filling with dilution water. The initial DO measured 8.2 mg/L, and the
final concentration after five days of incubation at 20ºC measured 2.9 mg/L. Calculate the BOD.
(Ans: 15.9 mg/L)

2. A seeded BOD analysis was conducted on a food-processing wastewater sample. Ten-milliliter

portions (seed control) were used in preparing the 300 mL bottles to determine the DO demand
of the aged and settled wastewater seed. The sample BOD bottles contained 2.7 mL of food-
processing wastewater sample and 1 mL of seed wastewater sample. The results of this series of
test bottles are listed below. Calculate the wastewater BOD values and what is the 5-day BOD?
(Ans: 598.89 mg/L)

Time (days) Seed Tests Sample Tests

B1 (mg/L) B2 (mg/L) D1 (mg/L) D2 (mg/L)
0 7.8 - 8.1 -
1 7.8 6.9 8.1 5.6
2 7.8 6.6 8.1 4.3
3 7.8 6.3 8.1 3.6
4 7.8 5.8 8.1 3.0
5 7.8 5.7 8.1 2.5
6 7.8 5.3 8.1 2.0
7 7.8 5.4 8.1 1.8

3. A rapid mixing tank is 1 m  1 m  1.2 m. The power input is 745.7 W (1 hp). Find the mean
velocity gradient G at a temperature of 15C. (Ans: 738.63 s-1)

4. A flocculator is 4 m deep, 10 m wide, and 20 m long. The flow of water plant is 34 m3/min.
Rotating paddles are supported parallel to four horizontal shafts. The rotating speed is 2 rpm. The
centerline of the paddles is 1.67 m from the shaft (mid-depth of the basin). Each shaft equipped
with six paddles. Each paddle blade is 0.254 m wide and 11.58 m long. Assume the mean velocity
of the water is 28% of the velocity of the paddles and their drag coefficient is 1.9. (T = 15ºC).
Estimate

a. the difference in velocity between the paddles and water;

b. the useful power input;

c. the detention time;

d. the values of G and Gt at 15C;

(Ans: 0.252 m/s, 1073.3 W, 23.53 min, 34.3 s-1, 48454)

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5. A flocculation tank equipped with resolving paddles is 18.3 m long (the direction of flow), 13.7
m wide, and 4.3 m deep and treats 26.3 m3/min. The power input to provide paddle-blade
velocities of 0.3 and 0.43 m/s for the inner and outer blades, respectively, is 930 N.m/s (W).
Assuming a water temperature of 10C, calculate

a. the detention time;

b. horizontal flow-through velocity

c. G value

(Ans: 41 min, 0.45 m/min, 25.7 s-1)

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Appendix

Temperature (°C) Absolute viscosity, µ (x10-3 kg/mꞏs)

0 1.781
5 1.518
10 1.307
15 1.139
20 1.002
25 0.890
30 0.798