Wastewater Treatment: Operation and Maintenance

2. Grit Removal
• removes grits, consisting of sand, gravel, cinders, or other
heavy solid materials that have subsiding or specific gravities
substantially greater than those of the organic putrescible
solids in wastewater including eggshells, bone chips, seeds,
coffee grounds and food wastes.
In order to:
• protect moving mechanical equipment from abrasion
• reduce formation of heavy deposits in pipelines, channels,
and conduits
• reduce the frequency of digester cleaning due to excessive
accumulation of grit
Grit Removal Methods
1. Horizontal flow grit chamber
2. Detritus tank
3. Aerated Grit Chamber

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Sewage Treatment Plant Flow Diagram
Sewage Treatment Plant Flow Diagram
Operation and Maintenance
B. Grit removal problems and remedial actions
1. Grit transport through the grit chamber
Indicators : Rapid abrasion of moving mechanical equipment downstream
the grit chamber; High inert content in the biological aeration
tank ; Quantity of collected grit smaller than normal conditions
Main causes : High velocity and / or too short hydraulic retention time
Investigations and analyses : Measure inorganic suspended solids influent
and effluent at different wastewater flow rates; Measure the velocity
corresponding to the different wastewater flow rates; Measure the air flow
rate in case of aerated grit chamber
Remedial actions: In rectangular horizontal-flow grit chamber, increase the
frequency of grit removal in order to increase the available water section;
Reduce the velocity of roll or agitation; increase the number of the grit
chamber; Reduce air flow rate in case of aerated grit chamber; Replace the
pump ; Modify the solids removal system upstream

tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph
Operation and Maintenance
B. Grit removal problems and remedial actions
2. High content of organic material in the collected grit
Indicators : Quantity of grit removed higher than the normal; Dark color of
the grit removed; Mixture more doughty than the normal; Foul
smell from the collected grit
Main causes : Low velocity and / or too high hydraulic retention time
Investigations and analyses : Analyze, daily, the volatile content in the
collected grit; Measure the velocity corresponding to the different
wastewater flow rate; Measure the air flow rate in case of aerated grit
chamber
Remedial actions: If possible, reduce the number of the grit chambers
working in parallel; In case of rectangular horizontal-flow grit chambers,
reduce the water section or modify (reduce) the water level in the chamber
by regulating the weir ; In case of aerated grit chamber increase the air
flow rate ; Increase the velocity of agitation

tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph
SE 432 : Sewage and Wastewater Treatment
Operation and Maintenance

Horizontal Flow Grit Chamber

- a type of grit chamber where wastewater flows
through the chamber in a horizontal direction and
the straight-line velocity of flow is controlled by the
dimensions of the unit or by the use of special weir
sections at the effluent.

hL
h

L
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SE 432 : Sewage and Wastewater Treatment
Operation and Maintenance

Operational parameters for horizontal-

flow Grit Chambers
a. Detention period
b.Horizontal velocity
c. Settling velocity
d.Scour velocity
The time required to settle the inert particles must be less than the
detention period.
The horizontal velocity must be less than the scour velocity of the
inert particles but must be greater than the scour velocity of the
organic particles
tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph
 Sewage and Wastewater Treatment: Operation and Maintenance

Typical operation and design information for

horizontal-flow grit chambers
Item Range Typical

Detention time, seconds 45 - 90 60

Horizontal velocity, m/s 0.25 – 0.40 0.30
Settling velocity (m/min) for removal of:
65-meshmaterial (0.21 mm) 1.0 – 1.30 1.15
100-mesh material (0.15 mm) 0.60 – 0.90 0.75
Allowance for inlet and outlet
turbulence as %tage of length 25 - 50 30
Amount of grit removed 100 – 250 l / 1000 m³ of
wastewater treated/day
Headloss as % tage of depth 30 – 40
Note: If the specific gravity of the grit is significantly less than 2.65,lower
velocities should be used.

tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph
Sewage and Wastewater Treatment: Operation and Maintenance

Analysis of horizontal flow grit chambers

a. Settling velocity of particles
Stokes Law (for <0.10 mm);

vs = 𝐬
𝟐

Newton’s Law (for ˃0.10mm);

vs = 1.8
Where: v = settling velocity in cm/s
g = 981 cm/s2
s = specific gravity of the particle
= specific gravity of fluid
= diameter of the particle in cm.
= viscosity of fluid in cm2/s

tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph
Formulas for horizontal flow grit chambers
a. Settling velocity of particles

For grit particles more than 0.10 mm. to 1.0 mm. in

diameters

Hazen’s Formula; Where: v = settling velocity

in m/s
. 0.714 s = specific gravity
of the particle
vs = .
= specific gravity of
fluid
= diameter of the
vs = 60.60 particle in m.
= viscosity of fluid
in m2/s
T = temp. in oC

tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph
Formulas for horizontal flow grit chambers
b. Detention period, t

t= = =

Where: t = detention time

V = liquid volume in the grit
chamber
= Design discharge
Vh = horizontal velocity
Vs = settling velocity
L = length of grit chamber
h = liquid depth in the grit
chamber

tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph
Formulas for horizontal flow grit chambers
c. Horizontal Velocity, Vh

Vh = = Where: t = detention time

= Design discharge
Vh = horizontal velocity
L = length of grit chamber

Critical Horizontal Velocity: vsc = 40 s

Where: d = particle size in mm

tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph
Sewage and Wastewater Treatment: Operation and Maintenance
Analysis of horizontal flow grit chambers
Illustrative problem:
An operating sewage treatment plant has three parallel grit chambers
(One is a standby unit while two operate at the same time) for the
removal of 0.21 mm.-diameter inert particles whose specific gravity is
2.30. Each chamber has sizes of 1.0 m. wide x 12 m. long and 1.5 m. total
depth with a bottom slope of 8% towards the outflow weir. On the
average, the following were observed: Raw wastewater flow rate =
55,000 m3/d and the depths of flow in the operating chambers is 1.10
m., check whether or not the grit chambers are operating effectively. Is
there a possibility of scouring? The viscosity of the water is 0.0105
cm2/s. What remedial action(s) would you adopt?

tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph
Solution
A. Determine the settling velocity using Hazen’s Formula
. 0.714
vs = .

. 0.714
vs = .

Vs = 0.0216 m/s or 1.296 m/min (w/in 1-1.3 m/min)

B. Time required to settle the particles,
ts = .
.
or 51 sec
C. Determine the detention time
t = = (𝟐 𝒙 𝟏.𝟎 𝒙, 𝟏𝟐 𝒙 𝟏. = 41.47 sec
ec. but less than the settling time
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 Solution
D. Determine the horizontal velocity
vh = 2

V h= ( ,
.
= 0.29 m/s

E. Critical Horizontal Velocity: vsc = 40 s

vsc = 40 = 20.90 cm/s or 0.209 m/s

Therefore the grit chamber is not operating as designed and that scouring is possible

tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph
Solution
F. Remedial Action : Increase Hydraulic retention time (HRT)
By reducing Q and Adding one unit identical chamber
1. Check detention time, t

t= =( 𝟑 𝒙 𝟏.𝟎 𝒙 𝟏𝟐 𝒙 𝟏.
,
=62.21 sec (ok)

2. Check horizontal velocity, Vh

V h= ( 𝟏𝟖𝟑𝟑𝟑.𝟑𝟑 = 0.193 m/s < Vsc OK!

𝟏 𝐱 𝟏.𝟏

Hence, add one identical grit chamber

tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph
SE 432 : Sewage and Wastewater Treatment
Operation and Maintenance
Analysis of horizontal flow grit chambers
Practice problem:
A grit chamber has dimensions of 1 m.
x 12 m. x 1.3 m. with 0.30 m. free board,
a bottom slope of 8% towards the
outlet for grit storage. The operating
horizontal velocity is 0.30 m/s and the
grit removal is 0.015 m3 of grit per 1000
m3 of sewage treated. What should be
the frequency of grit removal?

tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph
Sewage and Wastewater Treatment: Operation and Maintenance

b. Aerated grit
chambers
– consists of a
spiral flow
aeration tank
where the spiral
velocity is
controlled by the
dimensions and
the quantity of air
supplied in the
unit.

tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph
SE 432 : Sewage and Wastewater Treatment
Operation and Maintenance

Section of Grit Chamber

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Aerated Rectangular Grit Chamber
Sewage and Wastewater Treatment: Operation and
Maintenance

Aerated Grit Chamber offers a low-cost, mechanical

way to remove grit from a wastewater stream. Air is
introduced through diffusers which is located at the
bottom of the grit chamber. The continuous rising flow
deflects off an energy-recovery baffle at the liquid
surface. This flow pattern causes the grit to settle to the
bottom of the chamber while keeping lighter organic
material in suspension to be processed further
downstream. Once the grit has settled, either a
recessed-impeller grit pump or, more commonly, an air-
lift pump is used to remove the grit slurry and send it on
for dewatering.

tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph
SE 432 : Sewage and Wastewater Treatment
Operation and Maintenance

Typical design information for Aerated Grit

Chambers
Item Value
Range Typical
Dimensions:
Depth, m 2 – 5
Length, m 7.5 – 20
Width, m 2.5 – 7.0
Width – depth ratio 1:1 – 5:1 2:1
Detention time at peak flow, min 2-5 3
Air supply, m3/min. m of length 0.15 – 0.45 0.3
Grit and scum quantities 0.004- 0.20 0.015
(m3/103 m3 )
tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph
Illustrative problem
A sewage treatment plant consists of two (2) units identical
parallel aerated grit chamber (one unit on standby). Each
chamber has a liquid depth of 3.6 m., width of 3.0 m., and
effective length of 11.5 m. The length of the inlet zone and the
outlet zone is 0.85 m. each. After a year of operation, the
following have been observed: maximum flow rate 1.50 m3/s
containing 300 mg/l of grits having a unit weight of 1500 kg/m3
(dry basis), grit removal of 5.96 m3/day, and the air supply was 3.5
m3/min. Based on recommended values, check whether or not the
grit chamber has been operating effectively. If not, specify
remedial actions.

tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph
 Solution
Figure

Effluent
Wastewater

3.60 m
Air supply
0.85 m 11.50 m 0.85 m 3.00m

Check detention time, from Vol. = Qt

Vol. = LWh = 11.5 x 3 x 3.6 = 124.20 m3 per tank

Q/tank = 1.5 cms

then t = (124.2/1.5) = 82.80 sec. or 1.38 min. not ok

tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph
Solution
Check air supply in m3/min.m. of length
= (3.5 m3/min)/11.5 = 0.304 m3/min. m of length (ok)
Check grit removal in m3/1000 m3 of sewage treated
= (5.96 m3/d)/[(1.50 m3/s )(86400 s/d/1000)]= 0.046m3 /1000 m3 (ok)
The grit chamber is not operating based on recommended detention time.
Remedial action: increase detention time by adding 1 additional identical grit
chamber
Check detention time, from Vol. = Qt
Vol. = LWh = 11.5 x 3 x 3.6 = 124.20 m3 per tank
Q/tank = 1.5/2 = 0.75 cms and t = (124.2/0.75
= 165.60 sec. or 2.76 min. (ok)

Air supply in m3/min.m. of length/tank

= (3.5 m3/min)/11.5 = 0.304 m3/min. m of length (ok)
Check grit removal in m3/1000 m3 of sewage treated
= (5.96 m3/d)/[(0.75 m3/s )(86400 s/d/1000)]= 0.092m3 /1000 m3 (ok)
Therefore add 1 unit identical grit chamber
tlpaquit@uc-bcf.edu.ph