CLARIFIER PROBLEMS AT INDUSTRIAL WASTE TREATMENT PLANTS (…… AND THEIR SOLUTIONS )

Industrial waste treatment plant clarifiers are similar to municipal treatment plant clarifiers in many respects (flow distribution, arrangement, general configuration), but they can be quite different because of the unique characteristics of the wastes being treated. Through various field evaluation techniques, the hydraulic and operational conditions that are found in industrial waste treatment plant clarifiers have been determined for a number of installations. These findings have led to recommendations and techniques for improving their overall performance.The author has performed field evaluations of primary, secondary and tertiary clarifiers at different types if industrial waste treatment plants all over the world, including at pharmaceutical, electronics, food, pulp and paper and petrochemical plants. Each of these has its own set of design and operational requirements that can greatly impact the effectiveness of the clarifiers.This paper discusses some of the different clarifier concerns that have been identified, including:flow distributionhydraulic characteristicsscum removalblanket formationinlet and outlet configuration, andsludge removalAlong with the identification of problems, this paper also presents and discusses various design and operational considerations that have been effective in improving the performance of industrial waste treatment clarifiers.