DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL, ENVIRONMENTAL and GEOMATIC ENGINEERING
WATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT
(CEGE0022)
SAND FILTRATION – Part 2
DR LUIZA C. CAMPOS
Learning Outcomes
•to understand the backwashing process
• to be able to identify a fluidised bed
• to be able to calculate the fluidisation velocity
• to be able to calculate head loss in an expanded filter bed
Watch these videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdN3g85zfzM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31ZUXx6NXDA
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Backwashing
Rapid gravity, granular media filters need regular
backwashing to remove clogging deposits and maintain
efficient operation.
Backwashing of a gravity filter involves upward flow to
dislodge the deposits that have accumulated during
filtration and flush them away.
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Filter backwashing
(1) Start with air
(2) Air + water
(3) Air + water (4) Wash water flow time 10 min
Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whwEBxqa3yU
Backwashing
Backwashing fluidises the bed Area,a
Fluidised bed:
solid particles/grains suspended by
fluidising medium, e.g. gas or liquid
when grains in equilibrium
sand
upward force = downward force
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Backwashing
Downward force = weight of grains in water
FD ALe 1 e s g (7)
A : X-sectional area
Le : Expanded depth of bed
e : porosity of expanded bed
s : density of grains
Upward force = pressure difference * area
Fup= ρgheA (8)
where he is the head loss
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Backwashing
Equating the downward (Eq. 7) and upward (Eq. 8) forces gives
Le 1 e s g
A
ghe (9)
A
Rearranging gives an expression for the head loss gradient in a fluidised bed
1 e s he (10) (Fair and Hatch, 1933)
Le
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The head loss (hydraulic gradient) can also be given by the
Kozeny-Carman equation as
he u 1 e 2 36
5 (11)
Le g e 3 ds 2
where ds is grain diameter, m is dynamic viscosity of water.
Equating Eq (10) and (11) gives
1 e s
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u 1 e 2 36 (12)
g e3 ds2
which can be rearranged to give an expression for the
minimum fluidisation velocity, umf.
g s e3ds2 (13)
umf
180 1 e 8
Expanded Depth of Bed
x
u
Porosity of expanded bed can be related to settling velocity vt
e (14)
vt
Where x is an experimental value equal to 0.22
The volume of the sand in an unexpanded bed will equal the volume of sand in
an expanded bed
AL0 (1 - ε ) = A Le ( 1 - εe ) (15)
L1 0
L e L0
1 0
(16)
Le
0.22
(17)
1 e u
1
vt
Need to calculate terminal settling velocity
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Design Considerations
• Aim for expanded bed porosity of 0.6 to 0.7 (initial porosity
usually 0.4 for sand)
• Expanded depth 1.2 to 1.55 times original depth
• Ensure no loss of media
Minimum fluidisation velocity
• Calculate fluidisation velocity for each fraction
• Take maximum value
Bed Expansion
• Calculate expanded bed length for each fraction
• Add up values
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Exercise – bed expansion and fluidisation velocity
Data:
0 0.4
L 0.67 m
0.85
K 5
ds 0.0004 m
0.00102 Nms-2
vt 0.39 ms-1
998.2 kgm-3
s 2650 kgm-3
g 9.81ms-2
e 0.65
Calculate the minimum fluidisation velocity and using Fair-Hatch equation
calculate the expanded depth of bed ?
g s e3ds2 umf = 0.011 ms-1
umf
180 1 e = 39.6 mh-1
Le=1.14m
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Head loss in expanded bed
Consider the simplest case of a single media filter.
Equation 10 gives us the head loss gradient in the fluidised bed as
1 e s h e (10)
Le
If we want to know the backwash head loss, we need to eliminate Le
and e from the equation, as they are not known and not easily
measured.
We know that in the fluidised bed the total volume of solids is unchanged
L e L0
1 0
1 e (16)
So we can substitute Le in Equation 10 using Equation 16 and we get
௦
(18)
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For a typical filter sand we know that the voidage, 0 = 0.4 and the
density, s=2650 kg/m3 , so we can put these values into the
equation 18
= 1000 kgm-3
0.6 x1650 xL
h
1000
h Lo
where the head loss is measured in m of water and the bed depth
is also in m.
Note: this is a very useful thing to remember for sand filters. But,
please remember it only applies to sand, as the figures we plugged
into the equation were for sand only
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Acknowledgement
Part of these lectures was taken from the lectures of Dr R.
Mackie (University of Dundee) and Professor Caroline
Fitzpatrick (UCL).
References
Qasim et al. 2000 Water works engineering – planning, design & operation.
Casey, T.J. 1997 Unit treatment processes in water and wastewater engineering
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