LAMELLA CLARIFIER

THILAKARATHNE K.D.D.M
2019/E/148
INTRODUCTION
Lamella clarifiers, also known as inclined plate settlers, are innovative water treatment systems
used in industries and wastewater treatment facilities. They use a series of inclined plates or
tubes to efficiently separate solids from liquids, offering space saving advantages and enhanced
efficiency.
The inclined plates provide a larger surface area for particles to settle out of water, allowing for
improved sedimentation and clarification of the liquid stream. Lamella clarifiers use gravity and
hydraulic flow principles to facilitate the separation of suspended solids from water, resulting in
clearer effluent discharge and improved water quality.
They are reliable, effective, and optimized for wastewater treatment in both municipal and
industrial settings. their compact footprint, ease of operation, and consistent performance are
also favored. The environmental benefits of using lamella clarifiers include reducing wastewater
discharge's environmental impact and enhancing water treatment processes and quality.

FIGURE 1
DESIGN
Design Parameters:
• Flow Rate (Q): The volume of water to be treated per unit time. let's assume
𝑄 = 500 𝑚3 ⁄𝑑𝑎𝑦
• Surface Loading Rate (S): The rate at which water flows over the surface area of the
lamella plates. 𝑆 = 10 𝑚3 ⁄𝑚2 ⁄𝑑𝑎𝑦
• Inclination Angle (θ): The angle at which the plates are inclined. Assume 𝜃 = 60°
• Plate Spacing (d): The distance between adjacent plates. Assume 𝑑 = 0.1 𝑚

Calculate Required Settling Area:

• The required surface area A can be calculated using the surface loading rate and flow
rate:
𝑄
𝐴=
𝑆
500 𝑚3 ⁄𝑑𝑎𝑦
𝐴=
500 𝑚3 ⁄𝑚2 ⁄𝑑𝑎𝑦
𝐴 = 50 𝑚2
Calculate Effective Settling Area:
The effective settling area 𝐴𝑒𝑓𝑓 accounts for the inclined plates. This is calculated by dividing
the required surface area by the sine of the inclination angle:
𝐴
𝐴𝑒𝑓𝑓 =
𝑆𝑖𝑛𝜃
sin 60° ≅ 0.866
50𝑚2
𝐴𝑒𝑓𝑓 =
0.866
𝐴𝑒𝑓𝑓 = 57.7𝑚2

Determine Number of Plates:

Assume the height of the clarifier 𝐻 is 3 meters. The number of plates 𝑁 can be calculated by
dividing the height by the spacing between plates:
𝐻
𝑁=
𝑑
 3𝑚
𝑁=
0.1𝑚
𝑁 = 30 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠
Clarifier Dimensions:
Assuming each plate is 1.5 meters long, the width 𝑊 of the clarifier can be calculated using the
effective surface area and plate length:
𝐴𝑒𝑓𝑓
𝑊=
𝐿
57.7𝑚2
𝑊=
1.5𝑚
𝑊 ≅ 38.5𝑚
Sludge Collection and Removal:
Assumptions:
• Sludge Production Rate (S): Assume a sludge production rate of 0.5% of the influent
flow. This means that for every cubic meter of water treated, 0.005 𝑚3 of sludge is
produced.
• Sludge Concentration: Assume the concentration of sludge is 4% solids.

Calculate Sludge Volume:

• Daily Sludge Volume:

𝐷𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑆𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 = 𝑄 × 𝑆𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒

𝐷𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑆𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 = 500 𝑚3 ⁄𝑑𝑎𝑦 × 0.005 = 2.5 𝑚3 /𝑑𝑎𝑦

• Volume of Sludge in the Hopper: To design a sludge hopper, assume the hopper should
have a capacity to hold 1-2 days of sludge accumulation.

𝐻𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 = 2 × 𝐷𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑆𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 = 2 × 2.5 𝑚3 = 5 𝑚3

The hopper is typically conical or pyramidal to facilitate sludge removal. The volume can
be calculated based on the geometric shape. Assume a conical hopper:

Height of Hopper (𝑯𝒉 ): Assume the height of the hopper is 1 meter.

Base Diameter (𝑫𝒃 ): Use the formula for the volume of a cone to find the diameter.
 1 𝐷𝑏
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 = 𝜋( )2 × 𝐻ℎ
3 2

1 𝐷𝑏 2
5 𝑚3 = 𝜋( ) × 1
3 2

15
𝐷𝑏 2 = ≈ 4.77 𝑚2
𝜋

𝐷𝑏 2 ≈ 4.77 𝑚2

𝐷𝑏 ≈ 2.19 𝑚

Summary of Results
1. Required Settling Area:
Calculated Surface Area (𝑨): 50 𝑚2

Effective Settling Area (𝑨𝒆𝒇𝒇 ): Approximately 57.7 𝑚2, accounting for the
inclined plates.
2. Number of Plates:
Total Plates Required (𝑵): 30 plates, given a clarifier height of 3 meters and plate
spacing of 0.1 meters.
3. Clarifier Dimensions:
Width (𝑾): Approximately 38.5 meters, based on a plate length of 1.5 meters.
4. Sludge Collection:
Daily Sludge Volume: 2.5 𝑚3 ⁄𝑑𝑎𝑦
Sludge Hopper Volume: Designed to hold 5 m³ of sludge, with a base diameter of
approximately 2.19 meters and a height of 1 meter.
PURPOSES
Solid-Liquid Separation and Settling Efficiency: These clarifiers are designed to efficiently
separate suspended solids from liquids. The inclined plates of lamella provide a large effective
settling area so, it allows solids to settle out quickly and effectively.
Space Efficiency: Lamella clarifiers are like compacted design. So, it requires less space
compared to conventional sedimentation tanks.
Improved Water Quality: Effectively removing suspended solids, these types of clarifiers help
to improve the quality of treated water and making it suitable for discharge into the
environment or for the next process of treatment.
Operational Flexibility: These type of lamella clarifiers can be easily integrated into existing
treatment systems or used as standalone units, providing flexibility in system design and
operation.
Ease of Maintenance: The design of lamella clarifiers allows for easy access to the plates for
inspection, cleaning, and maintaining and conduct smooth operation of the system.

APPLICATIONS AND LIMITIONS

Applications of Lamella Clarifiers:
Water Treatment Plants:
Lamella clarifiers are widely used in municipal water treatment plants for the removing
suspended solids and turbidity from raw water of the treatment plant.
Mining and Mineral Processing:
Lamella clarifiers are employed in mining operations to separate solids from process water and
tailings before discharge or reuse.
Power Plants:
Lamella clarifiers are used in power generation. So, it treats cooling water and boiler feed water,
enhancing operational efficiency and equipment lifespan.
Oil and Gas Industry:
These types of clarifiers are used in the oil and gas sector to treat produced water, removing oil,
grease, and solids before disposal or reuse.
Pulp and Paper Industry:
Lamella clarifiers help in the paper industry in wastewater treatment processes, ensuring
compliance with environmental standards.
Agriculture and Aquaculture:
Lamella clarifiers can be utilized in agricultural settings and aquaculture facilities to treat water
contaminated with organic matter and nutrients.
Stormwater Management:
Lamella clarifiers are used in stormwater treatment systems to remove sediment and pollutants
like such unwanted things before discharging water to the natural water bodies.

Limitations of Lamella Clarifiers:

Particle Size Limitations:
Lamella clarifiers are very effective at removing larger particles compared to very fine particles.
So therefore, Pretreatment may be required for efficient removal of fine particles.
Maintenance Requirements:
The inclined plates in lamella clarifiers can be prone to clogging by solids, need to conduct
regular cleaning and maintenance to ensure optimal performance of the clarifier.
Sensitivity to Hydraulic Load Changes:
Lamella clarifiers may experience reduced efficiency during sudden changes in flow rates or
hydraulic loading, so adjustments may be required to maintain performance.
Chemical Compatibility:
Some chemicals used in certain industries may impact the efficiency of lamella clarifiers or
require additional treatment steps for effective separation.
Initial Investment:

The initial capital cost of installing a lamella clarifier system can be higher than some other
conventional sedimentation technologies, potentially posing a barrier to adoption in certain
applications.
CONCLUSION
Lamella clarifiers are indispensable components in water treatment processes, offering space
efficient and effective solutions for solid-liquid separation. As a university student in the field of
Civil engineering, studying the design ,purposes, applications and limitations of lamella clarifiers
provides valuable insights into sustainable water treatment practices and equips me with the
knowledge to address real world challenges in the field of water resource management and
environmental protection.