MECHANICAL OPERATIONS
M ECHA NICA L EQU IPM ENT
SEDIMENTATION
Sedimentation- the condition whereby the solids are already at the bottom
and in the process of sedimenting.
In the physical treatment of water and wastewater, settling is normally carried
out in settling or sedimentation basins.
Settling- a unit operation in which solids are drawn toward a source of
attraction. Settling is not yet sedimenting, but the particles are falling down the water
column in response to gravity.
Generally, two types of sedimentation basins (also called tanks, or clarifiers)
are used:
Circular Basin Rectangular Basin
FILTRATION
It is any of various mechanical, physical or
biological operations that separate solids from
fluids (liquids or gases) by adding a medium
through which only the fluid can pass.
The fluid that passes through is called
the filtrate. In physical filters oversize solids in
the fluid are retained however, the separation is
not complete; solids will be contaminated with
some fluid and filtrate will contain fine
particles (depending on the pore size ,filter
thickness and biological activity).
METHODS OF FILTRATION
Hot filtration method is mainly used to separate
solids from a hot solution.
The apparatus and the solution used are heated in
order to prevent the rapid decrease in temperature which
in turn, would lead to the crystallization of the solids in the
funnel and hinder the filtration process.
Cold filtration method is the use of ice bath in
order to rapidly cool down the solution to be crystallized
rather than leaving it out to cool it down slowly in the room
temperature. This technique results to the formation of very
small crystals as opposed to getting large crystals by cooling
the solution down at room temperature.
Vacuum filtration technique is most preferred for small
batch of solution in order to quickly dry out small crystals. This
method requires a buchner funnel, filter paper of smaller diameter
than the funnel, buchner flask, and rubber tubing to connect to
vacuum source.
MECHANISMS OF FILTRATION
Surface Filter
A solid sieve which traps the solid particles, with or without the aid of filter
paper (e.G. Buchner funnel, belt filter, rotary vacuum-drum filter, cross-flow
filters, screen filter) allows the solid particles, (i.E. The residue) to be collected intact.
Depth Filter
A bed of granular material which retains the solid particles as it passes
(e.G. Sand filter).
It is less prone to clogging due to the greater surface area where the particles
can be trapped.
When the solid particles are very fine, it is often cheaper and easier to discard
the contaminated granules than to clean the solid sieve.
Cake Filters
-separate relatively large amounts of solids as cake of
crystals or sludge. Often they have provisions for washing cake or
removing some of the liquid from the solids before discharge.
Clarifying Filters
these filters remove small amounts of solids to produce a clean
gas or sparkling clear liquids. Most solids are trapped inside filter
medium. Such filters differ from screens in that the pores of the filter
medium are much larger than size of the particles to be removed.
Cross Flow Filters
feed suspension flows under pressure at a fairly high velocity across
the filter medium. High liquid velocity keeps the layer of solids from building
up. Filter medium used generally is – ceramic, polymer or metal with pores
small enough to exclude most of the suspended particles. Some of the liquid
passes through the filter medium, leaving more concentrated suspension
behind.
The filter medium or membrane in any filter must meet the
following requirements
1. It must retain the solids to be filtered, giving a reasonably
clear filtrate.
2. It must not plug or blind
3. It must be resistant chemically and strong enough physically to
withstand process conditions
4. It must permit the cake formed to discharge cleanly and
completely
5. It must not be prohibitively expensive filter media
Filter aids
Slimy or very fine solids that form a dense
impermeable cake quickly plug any filter medium that is fine
enough to retain them. In practice, to filter such materials,
porosity of the cake is increased to permit the passage of the
liquid at a reasonable rate. This is done by adding filter aids
such as purified wood cellulose, inert porous solids,
diatomaceous silica to the slurry before filtration.
Another way of using a filter aid is by precoating, that
is, depositing a layer of it on the filter medium before filtration.
TYPES OF FILTRATION EQUIPMENT
• Filter press
Also known as plate and frame
filters, are some of the oldest and most
common filters used for liquid-solid
separation.
Filter press consist of several
filter plates in series. These plates are
metal frames containing large sheets of
filter cloth, usually polypropylene. These
plates are squeezed together and the slurry
is filtered through the press.
• Pressure filter
In pressure filters, a pressure drop pushes the filtrate through the filter medium.
• Vacuum filter
It uses the application of suction on the filtrate side of the filter medium during
filtration.
There are two main types of vacuum filters: horizontal belt and rotary drum
filters, both of which operate continuously.
Horizontal belt vacuum filter includes a conveyor belt,
while rotary drum filters rotate about an axis as a vacuum pulls the
filtrate through its walls.
• Fabric filters
Fabric filters, also known as baghouses, are
primarily used in dust collection.
Types of Bag Filters
Shaker- cleaned Bag Filter
Reverse Flow Filters
Reverse Jet Filters
Other Types:
Depth Bed Filters
Magnetic Filters
Ceramic Filters
Shaker Reverse Flow filter Reverse Flow Jet Filter
