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Aeration Unit: Environmental Engineering Lab Assignment

The document discusses aeration units which are used to introduce air into water for various purposes. There are different types of aerators including gravity aerators like cascade and cone aerators, spray aerators, and diffused air and mechanical aerators. Aeration is used to remove carbon dioxide, oxidize iron and manganese, reduce ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, and control bacteria. It works by bringing air and water into close contact. Common applications include water treatment and wastewater treatment. Limitations include temperature effects and potential corrosion from dissolved oxygen.

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Hajra Aamir
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108 views

Aeration Unit: Environmental Engineering Lab Assignment

The document discusses aeration units which are used to introduce air into water for various purposes. There are different types of aerators including gravity aerators like cascade and cone aerators, spray aerators, and diffused air and mechanical aerators. Aeration is used to remove carbon dioxide, oxidize iron and manganese, reduce ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, and control bacteria. It works by bringing air and water into close contact. Common applications include water treatment and wastewater treatment. Limitations include temperature effects and potential corrosion from dissolved oxygen.

Uploaded by

Hajra Aamir
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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AERATION UNIT

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING LAB ASSIGNMENT

SUBMITTED BY: HAJRA AAMIR


2017-CH-210
SUBMITTED TO: Mr. ZIA-UL-HAQ
TABLE OF CONTENTS
AERATION UNIT....................................................................................................................................2
Introduction:..........................................................................................................................................2
Principle:................................................................................................................................................2
Function of aeration:.............................................................................................................................2
Types of aerators:..................................................................................................................................2
Gravity Aerators....................................................................................................................................3
Spray aerators:......................................................................................................................................4
Diffused air aeration system:................................................................................................................4
Mechanical aerators..............................................................................................................................4
Working of aeration unit:.....................................................................................................................5
Applications:..........................................................................................................................................5
Limitations:............................................................................................................................................5
Common operating problems...............................................................................................................6
References..............................................................................................................................................6
AERATION UNIT
Introduction:
Aeration is the process by which air is circulated through, mixed with or dissolved in a
liquid or substance. Aeration is used in liquids, soils and foods to improve quality and reduce
contamination.
In industrial water conditioning, one of the major objectives of aeration is to remove carbon
dioxide. Aeration is also used to oxidize soluble iron and manganese to insoluble precipitates. It
can also reduce ammonia and hydrogen sulfide (stripping), and is an effective method of bacteria
control.
Aeration is also known as aerification.

Principle:
Aeration is a unit process in which air and water are brought into intimate contact.
Turbulence increases the aeration of flowing streams. In industrial processes, water flow is
usually directed countercurrent to atmospheric or forced-draft air flow. The contact time and the
ratio of air to water must be sufficient for effective removal of the unwanted gas.
 Aeration as a water treatment practice is used for the following operations:
1.     carbon dioxide reduction (decarbonation)
2.     oxidation of iron and manganese found in many well waters (oxidation tower)
3.     ammonia and hydrogen sulfide reduction (stripping) 
Aeration is also an effective method of bacteria control.

Function of aeration:
Aeration serves three important functions :
1. Mixing the returned sludge with effluent from primary treatment.
2. Keeping the activated sludge in suspension.
3. Supplying the oxygen to the biochemical reactions necessary for the stabilization of the
wastewater

Types of aerators:
Aerators generally falls into two categories
1. Air into Water – This method creates small bubbles of air that are injected into the water
stream.
2. Water into Air – This method is designed to produce small drops of water that fall through
air.
3. All aerators are designed to create a greater amount of contact between the air and water to
enhance the transfer of gases.

Figure 1 Types of Aerators

Gravity Aerators

1. Cascade aerators: A cascade aerator consists of a series of steps that the water flows over. In
all cascade aerators, aeration is accomplished in the splash zones.  Cascade aerators can be
used to oxidize iron and to partially reduce dissolved gases.
2. Cone aerators: Cone aerators are used primarily to oxidize iron and manganese from the
ferrous state to the ferric state prior to filtration. The water being pumped to the top of the cones
and then being allowed to cascade down through the aerator.

Figure 2 Cone Aerators

Spray aerators:
This type of aerator has one or more spray nozzles connected to a pipe manifold.  The
water is sprinkled in fine jets through nozzles to a height of about 2 m to 2.5 m.  The nozzles
are generally operated at a pressure of 0.07 to 0.14 N/mm2.  The discharge through nozzle will
depend upon its design and available head of water.

Figure 3 Spray Nozzle Aerators

Diffused air aeration system:


The perforated pipes are installed at the bottom of tanks. The compressed air is blown
through these pipes. The air bubbles while coming up from the bottom of tank come into close
contact of water contained in the tank and aeration of water is thus achieved. The depth of
aeration tanks is generally about 2.5 m to 3 m and they generally work on the principle of
continuous flow with minimum detention period of 15 minutes. The quantity of air consumed per
1000 litres of water varies from 0.3 m3 to 0.6 m3

Mechanical aerators
Mechanical aerators are of two general types; surface aerators and turbine aerators.
Surface aerators: consist of submerged or partially submerged impellers, which are centrally
mounted in the aeration tank. Surface aerators agitate the wastewater vigorously, entraining air in
the wastewater and causing a rapid change of the air- water interface to facilitate solution of the
air.
Turbine aerators: are usually up flow types that rely on violent agitation of the surface and air
entrainment for their efficiency. A draft tube may be utilized to control the flow pattern of the
circulating liquid within the aeration tank. The draft tube is a cylinder with flared ends mounted
concentrically with the impeller, and extending from just above the floor of the aeration tank to
just beneath the impeller..

Working of aeration unit:


Primary treated wastewater enters the aeration unit and is mixed with dissolved oxygen
and suspended and/or attached microbes. The aerobic microbes convert organic compounds into
energy, new cells and residual matter. As the water moves through the clarifier, a portion of the
biological solids are separated out of the effluent and are retained within the ATU. The
biological solids settle back into the aeration chamber where they serve as seed for new
microbial growth. Settled biomass and residuals will accumulate in the bottom of the chamber
and must be removed with periodic maintenance because the biomass creates an oxygen demand,
clarification is an important part of generating a high-quality effluent.
The soluble BOD of the effluent is generally below 5 mg/L, but the biomass solids carry over
may produce an effluent BOD of 20 mg/L or greater. Many ATUs have a conical-shaped clarifier
to promote separation of the biomass. As the crosssectional area of upflow increases, the fluid
velocity decreases. Once the settling velocity of the biomass is greater than the fluid velocity, the
biomass will no longer move upward. During periods of no flow, the biomass will settle back
into the aeration chamber.
Other ATUs may incorporate inline filters to separate the biomass from the effluent. Such filters
require periodic maintenance to remove the build up of solids. In the aerobic process, organic
nitrogen and ammonia are converted to nitrate. Under anoxic conditions (no molecular oxygen),
the nitrate is denitrified to nitrogen gas. Some ATUs are designed to also provide denitrification
as part of their operation. Design modifications include intermittently supplying air and
recirculate the nitrified wastewater into the anoxic regions within the treatment unit.

Applications:
In industrial water conditioning, one of the major objectives of aeration is to remove
carbon dioxide. Aeration is also used to oxidize soluble iron and manganese (found in many well
waters) to insoluble precipitates. Aeration is often used to reduce the carbon dioxide liberated by
a treatment process. For example, acid may be fed to the effluent of sodium zeolite softeners for
boiler alkalinity control. Carbon dioxide is produced as a result of the acid treatment, and
aeration is employed to rid the water of this corrosive gas. Similarly, when the effluents of
hydrogen and sodium zeolite units are blended, the carbon dioxide formed is removed by
aeration.

Limitations:
Temperature significantly affects the efficiency of air stripping processes. Therefore,
these processes may not be suitable for use in colder climates. Theoretically, at 68°F the carbon
dioxide content of the water can be reduced to 0.5 ppm by aeration to equilibrium conditions.
This is not always practical from an economic standpoint, and reduction of carbon dioxide to 10
ppm is normally considered satisfactory.
Although removal of free carbon dioxide increases the pH of the water and renders it less
corrosive from this standpoint, aeration also results in the saturation of water with dissolved
oxygen. This does not generally present a problem when original oxygen content is already high.
However, in the case of a well water supply that is high in carbon dioxide but devoid of oxygen,
aeration simply exchanges one corrosive gas for another.
The efficiency of aeration increases as the initial concentration of the gas to be removed
increases above its equilibrium value. Therefore, with waters containing only a small amount of
carbon dioxide, neutralization by alkali addition is usually more cost-effective.
The complete removal of hydrogen sulfide must be combined with pH reduction or chemical
oxidation.
Nonvolatile organic compounds cannot be removed by air stripping. For example, phenols and
creosols are unaffected by the aeration process alone.

Common operating problems:


 Super saturation.
 Slow removal of the hydrogen sulfide.
 Algae production.
 Clogged filters.
 Overuse of energy.

References
https://www.slideshare.net/vsaikari/aeration-and-types-of-aerators
https://www.brainkart.com/article/Principles-And-Functions-Of-Aeration_3324/
https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/54/aeration
https://www.suezwatertechnologies.com/handbook/chapter-04-aeration

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