Chapa, Rebecca

Presented at WEFTEC 2023.

Titles from this speaker

Better Clarification from the Floor Baffle Up

Abstract

The Centennial Water and Sanitation District in the State of Colorado upgraded the Marcy Gulch Wastewater Treatment Plant as part of their Phase II Improvements Project to meet stricter regulatory requirements. Secondary clarification enhancements were made to help mitigate the four hydrodynamic phenomena that can negatively impact clarifier performance. The District implemented a McKinney feedwell floor baffle on all four secondary clarifiers to control density currents and improve performance, and sludge removal was converted to a spiral rake mechanism from suction draft tubes. Computational fluid dynamic modeling demonstrated improved hydrodynamics with the McKinney floor baffle design. Preliminary results show improved clarification, improved thickening and sludge blanket control, and reduced floc shearing in the modified clarifiers, with effluent turbidity generally lower than the old clarifiers. Overall, the McKinney floor baffle design has demonstrated the potential to optimize clarification in secondary clarifiers.

The secondary clarifiers at the Marcy Gulch Wastewater Treatment Plant were recently upgraded to include a McKinney feedwell floor baffle to optimize overall efficiency, stability, and effluent quality of the activated sludge process. Originally conceived in the 1970s, this simple clarifier design feature is largely underrepresented in the U.S. compared to European installations but can provide significant operational and performance benefits.

SpeakerChapa, Rebecca

Presentation time

11:00:00

11:30:00

Session time

10:30:00

12:00:00

SessionSecondary Clarification Advancements

Session locationRoom S401d - Level 4

TopicAdvanced Level, Municipal Wastewater Treatment Design

Author(s)

Chapa, Rebecca

Author(s)R. Chapa 1; P. Bong 2 ; R. Chapa 1; B. Jessee 3; P. Dunlap 4; J. Fitzpatrick 5; N. George 6;

Author affiliation(s)Black & Veatch, Denver, CO 1; Centennial Water & Sanitation District, Centennial, CO 2 ; Black & Veatch, Denver, CO 1; Black & Veatch 3; Black & Veatch 4; Black & Veatch 5; Centennial Water & Sanitation District, Centennial, CO 6;

SourceProceedings of the Water Environment Federation

Document typeConference Paper

PublisherWater Environment Federation

Print publication date Oct 2023

DOI10.2175/193864718825159195

Volume / Issue

Content sourceWEFTEC

Word count8