Luyan Sun, Tanvi Naidu, Kevin Shao
Abstract:
Research on the Laminar Tube Flocculator in Spring 2015 aimed to validate the results obtained by Karen Swetland with the FReTA system and to further investigate factors that affect the overall turbidity removal. The past semester’s team worked to test the new residual turbidity monitoring system, SWaT, in comparison to the FReTA system and to verify that the new system can obtain similar results to those obtained with the old system. However, the actual coagulant tubing size used in the previous SWaT experiment was different from that in the pump control method file. Because of the incorrect input in tubing size, the PACl dosages were not accurate. The Spring 2015 research derived correction factors that would make the previous date usable. Then experiments were conducted in the SWaT system to finish verifying Karen Swetland’s results. Future works includes experiments to determine if there is an optimal floc size which is small enough to combine with small clay particles yet large enough to be separated in the sedimentation tank. Also, future teams should study how dissolved organic matter (DOM) affects the performance of the flocculator and sedimentation tank. These findings will improve the performance of the flocculator and make it more effective for use in water supply.
