Tube Settler Systems for

Clarification

Tube settlers and parallel plates increase the settling capacity of circular clarifiers
and/or rectangular sedimentation basins by reducing the vertical distance a floc particle
must settle before agglomerating to form larger particles.

Tube settlers use multiple tubular channels

sloped at an angle of 60 and adjacent to each
other, which combine to form an increased
effective settling area. This provides for a
particle settling depth that is significantly less
than the settling depth of a conventional
clarifier, reducing settling times.

Tube settlers capture the settleable fine floc that escapes the clarification zone beneath
the tube settlers and allows the larger floc to travel to the tank bottom in a more
settleable form. The tube settlers channel collects solids into a compact mass which
promotes the solids to slide down the tube channel.
Why Tube Settlers?

Tube settlers offer an inexpensive method of upgrading

existing water treatment plant clarifiers and sedimentation
basins to improve performance. They can also reduce the
tankage/footprint required in new installations or improve
the performance of existing settling basins by reducing the
solids loading on downstream filters.

Made of lightweight PVC, tube settlers can be easily supported with minimal structures
that often incorporate the effluent trough supports. They are available in a variety of
module sizes and tube lengths to fit any tank geometry, with custom design and
engineering offered by the manufacturer.

Advantages of Tube Settlers

The advantages of tube settlers can be applied to new or existing clarifiers/basins of any
size:

Clarifiers/basins equipped with tube settlers can operate at 2 to 4 times the

normal rate of clarifiers/basins without tube settlers.
It is possible to cut coagulant dosage by up to half while maintaining a lower
influent turbidity to the treatment plant filters.
Less filter backwashing equates to significant operating cost savings for both
water and electricity.
New installations using tube settlers can be designed smaller because of
increased flow capability.
Flow of existing water treatment plants can be increased through the addition of
tube settlers.
Tube settlers increase allowable flow capacity by expanding settling capacity and
increasing the solids removal rate in settling tanks.
Tube Settler:-

Introduction:-
TUBE SETTLER is the most effective and alternative to the conventional sedimentation process. And,
unlike the sedimentation process that demands a great deal of today's valuable space, the compact
TUBE SETTLER is not marely a great space saver but helps cut down civil engineering costs
substantially.

Basic Structure
:-
Multiple tubular Channels-inclined at an angle and adjacent to each other-separate the suspended
solids from water or any other liquid effluent.

Individual tubes are continuous and smooth to minimise mixing of currents within the tube. The
configuration and shape of each tube is design to obtain a low Reynolds number and laminar flow
conditions for rapid accumulation and settlement of solids through the tubes. The high surface area
of tubes enabling substantial improvement of settling capacity

Working
Principle:-
This is a COMBINED UNIT consisting of FLASH MIXER/FLOCCULATOR and SETTLING TANK.

FLASH MIXER TANK:-

The tank will be fitted with a mechanism consisting of :-

TEFC squirrel cage induction IP55 motor

 Worm gear box.
Turbine type impeller.
Shaft.
Rigid coupling connecting gear box to agitator shaft.
Base plate with coupling.
Support channels or beams across the tank shall be supplied and laid by client.

FLOCCULATOR TANK:-

The tank will be fitted with a Mechanism consisting of :-

Support plate.
Flocculator drive with motor and gear box.
Rigid coupling.
Central shaft.
Flocculation paddles.

SETTLING TANK (in steel) :-

The unit shall be made of MS plates and the shell will have suitable supports with inlet, outlet and
drain arrangement. It will have steel launder and collection pipes. Settling will be efficiently achieved
by tubes which shall be special PVC units with high settling efficiency. The tubes shall be installed and
fitted to make continuous settling area and shall be supported on steel supports.

A common walkway with handrails shall be provided to cover Tube Settler and Flocculator/Flash
Mixer.

The tank shall be painted with Epoxy Primer and Epoxy Paint from inside and Red oxide Primer and
Synthetic Enamel Paint from outside.

Applications:-
Raw water classification
Waste water treatment
Ash/Scrubber waste management
Brine classification
Coal and other mineral separation
Food and Dairy processing and waste treatment
Iron Removal
Millscale Separation
Pulp and Paper
Distillery waste treatment.
Pretreatment to RO unit
Advantages:-
The advantages of tube settlers can be applied to new or
existing clarifiers/basins of any size:
Clarifiers/basins equipped with tube settlers can operate at 2 to 4 times the normal rate of clarifiers/basins
without tube settlers.
It is possible to cut coagulant dosage by up to half while maintaining a lower influent turbidity to the
treatment plant filters.
Less filter backwashing equates to significant operating cost savings for both water and electricity.
New installations using tube settlers can be designed smaller because of increased flow capability.
Flow of existing water treatment plants can be increased through the addition of tube settlers.
Tube settlers increase allowable flow capacity by expanding settling capacity and increasing the solids
removal rate in settling tanks.
Very cost economical since it uses 1/10th of space required by conventional clarifiers.
No moving parts, operates totally on Gravity.
No maintenance list.
Laminar flow ensures excellent treated water quality.
Wide choice of materials of construction such as steel, concrete/FRP.
Non-corrosive tubes can be lifted easily for cleaning without shutdown.
Flexible configurations
Required Very Less Space
Easy installation
No Power Consumption
Simple in Operation
Easily Mobility

The advantages of tube settlers can be applied to new or existing clarifiers/basins of any size:
Clarifiers/basins equipped with tube settlers can operate at 2 to 4 times the normal rate of
clarifiers/basins without tube settlers.

Tube settlers are commonly used in rectangular clarifiers to increase the settling capacity by
reducing the vertical distance a suspended particle must travel. High efficiency tube settlers
use a stack of parallel tubes, rectangles or flat pieces separated by a few inches (several
centimeters) and sloping upwards in the direction of flow. This structure creates a large
number of narrow parallel flow pathways encouraging uniform laminar flow as modeled
by Stokes' law.[11] These structures work in two ways:

1. They provide a very large surface area onto which particles may fall and become stabilized.
2. Because flow is temporarily accelerated between the plates and then immediately slows
down, this helps to aggregate very fine particles that can settle as the flow exits the plates.
Structures inclined between 45 and 60 may allow gravity drainage of accumulated solids, but
shallower angles of inclination typically require periodic draining and cleaning. Tube settlers may
allow the use of a smaller clarifier and may enable finer particles to be separated with residence
times less than 10 minutes.[11] Typically such structures are used for difficult-to-treat waters,
especially those containing colloidal materials.
Tube settlers capture the fine particles allowing the larger particles to travel to the bottom of the
clarifier in a more uniform form. The fine particles then build up into a larger mass which then
slides down the tube channels. The reduction in solids present in the outflow allows a reduction in
the clarifier footprint when designing. Tubes made of PVC plastic are a minor cost in clarifier
design improvements and may lead to an increase of operating rate of 2 to 4 times. [12][13]
Operation [edit]
In order to maintain and promote the proper processing of a clarifier, it is important to remove any
corrosive, reactive and polymerisable component first, or any material that may foul the outlet
stream of water to avoid any unwanted side reactions, changes in the product or cause damage to
any of the water treatment equipment. This is done by routine inspections and the frequent
cleaning of the quiescent zones and the inlet and outlet areas of the clarifier in order to ascertain
the extent of sediment build up and to clean and remove any scouring, litter, weeds or debris that
may have accumulated over time.[14]
Water being introduced into the clarifier should be controlled to reduce the velocity of the inlet
flow. Reducing the velocity maximizes the hydraulic retention time inside the clarifier for
sedimentation and helps to avoid excessive turbulence and mixing; thereby promoting the
effective settling of the suspended particles. To further discourage the overt mixing within the
clarifier and increase the retention time allowed for the particles to settle, the inlet flow should also
be distributed evenly across the entire cross section of the settling zone inside the clarifier, where
the volume is maintained at 37.7 percent capacity.
The sludge formed from the settled particles at the bottom of each clarifier, if left for an extended
period of time, may become gluey and viscous, causing difficulties in its removal. This formation of
sludge, promotes anaerobic conditions and a healthy environment for the growth of bacteria. This
can cause the re suspension of particles by gases and the release of dissolved nutrients
throughout the water fluid, reducing the effectiveness of the clarifier. Major health issues and
problems can also occur further down the track of the water purification system or hinder the
health of the fish found downstream of the clarifier.

economical moving parts, operates totally on Gravity.

No maintenance list.
Laminar flow ensures excellent treated water quality.
Wide choice of materials of construction such as steel, concrete/FRP.
Non-corrosive tubes can be lifted easily for cleaning without shutdown.
Flexible configurations
Required Very Less Space
Easy installation
No Power Consumption
Simple in Operation
Easily Mobility