CLARIFIERS & SLUDGE THICKENERS

CLARIFIERS:

Clarifiers are ideal for many applications where the specific gravity of the particles to be removed with or without flocculation is reasonably high. Clarifiers can be constructed in stainless steel, mild steel, concrete or a combination of both.

Applications for clarifiers include lime softening, precipitation of iron and magnesium and turbidity removal in both ground water and surface water treatment plus a variety of other industrial projects.

Clarifiers can be designed specifically for each application. Basic clarifier designs involve the wastewater being pumped into a central stilling well where it is generally flocculated by the addition of a coagulant and or polymer. The clarified water from the clarifier overflows a circumferential weir whilst the solids settle into a simple 60 degree angle base cone.

Larger clarifier designs are shallower due to the concentric rake which continuously forces settled solids into a central well, rather than having a steep angle base. This type of clarifier can incorporate features such as; recirculation of settled solids from the bottom, particularly useful in low solids applications to provide enhanced flocculation and settlement properties.
 

SLUDGE THICKENERS:

Sludge Thickeners are used in a variety of applications to increase the solids concentration in industrial or biological sludges prior to advanced dewatering processes. In the municipal sector, typical applications of sludge thickening include thickening of DAF or filtration backwash water from water treatment plants or sludge thickening of activated sludge from biological treatment plants.

In order to dewater sludge and thicken to a spadable cake the dry solids concentration in the feed slurry should be in order of several percent to make operation of such sludge thickening equipement effective. Sludge thickeners are installed as a primary processing stage after "wet" sludge storage.

Sludge thickeners are designed to achieve maximum solids concentration in the thickened sludge. With sizes ranging from 3m to 15m diameter sludge thickeners.

The sludge thickener tanks are generally constructed from either concrete or epoxy coated mild steel. Launders, walkways, and rake mechanisms for K2 Corporation's sludge thickening equipment are constructed in galvanised steel, plated steel, aluminium, stainless steel or any combination to suit the particluar requirements and specifications from the plant.

Thickener feed wells have submerged tangential inlets with a connecting pipe to the perimeter of the sludge thickener tank. This below water line entry eliminates the possibility of air entrainment in the feed improving the settlement process. The feed wells supply highly efficient mixing for flocculaiton at the top whilst ciculation energy is dissipated at the base by a 45-degree reduction cone and specially designed distribution hood.

The rakes for the sludge thickener are designed to contour with the base and achieve full coverage of the thickener and paddles are located in the central sludge to well to maintain fluidity of the sludge.

The mechanicals and drive units for our sludge thickeners are of the highest quality. This includes; gear reducer operating at several rpm and flange connected to the rake shaft and the base of the drive attached to the slewing ring. The drive torque arms are connected to a slewed push rod onto a load cell which provides constant torque load output by way of 4-20mA signal from a load cell transmitter. This load cell may then be used to control and monitor the sludge thickener performance.

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