Skip to main content

Horizontal flow grit chamber, Dang

Short answer

Settling velocity by Hazen 0.0375 m/s, scour velocity 0.228 m/s. Adopt v_h=0.20 m/s. A_c=4.27 m², B=4.3 m, H=1.0 m. L_theo=5.33 m, final L=max(1.25×,30 s)=7.0 m. Chamber: 7.0 m × 4.3 m × 1.0 m water depth, total depth 1.55 m.

Design a horizontal flow rectangular grit chamber to operate at 22°C for a city located at Dang district having population of 273000. Assume any other data suitably.

Assumptions (Nepal practice): water supply 135 lpcd, 80% of it reaches the sewer, peak factor 2.5 (assumed, on the safe side; CPHEEO suggests about 2.25 for this population) (so Qavg=273000×135×0.8/1000=29484Q_{avg}=273000\times135\times0.8/1000 = 29484 m³/day); grit of d=0.2d=0.2 mm, G=2.65G=2.65; k=0.06k=0.06, f=0.03f=0.03; the temperature is 22°C (Dang). Two horizontal-flow units are provided, each able to take the full peak flow.

Step 1: Design flow

Q=273000×135×0.8×2.51000×86400=0.8531 m3/sQ = \frac{273000\times 135\times 0.8\times 2.5}{1000\times 86400} = 0.8531\ \text{m}^3/\text{s}

Step 2: Settling velocity of the grit

Hazen's formula (with temperature correction), dd in mm:

vs=418 (G−1) d2(3T+70100) mm/s=418×(2.65−1)×0.22×3×22+70100=37.52 mm/s=0.0375 m/sv_s = 418\,(G-1)\,d^2\left(\frac{3T+70}{100}\right)\ \text{mm/s} = 418\times (2.65-1)\times 0.2^2\times\frac{3\times 22+70}{100} = 37.52\ \text{mm/s} = 0.0375\ \text{m/s}

Step 3: Horizontal (flow-through) velocity

The velocity must not scour settled grit. Scour (critical) velocity (Camp-Shields):

vc=8kf(G−1) g d=8×0.060.03(2.65−1)×9.81×0.2×10−3=0.228 m/sv_c = \sqrt{\frac{8k}{f}(G-1)\,g\,d} = \sqrt{\frac{8\times 0.06}{0.03}(2.65-1)\times 9.81\times 0.2\times 10^{-3}} = 0.228\ \text{m/s}

Adopt vh=0.20v_h = 0.20 m/s (the scour velocity rounded down; the usual range is 0.2-0.3 m/s). This is high enough to keep the light organic matter moving, so it passes on instead of settling.

Step 4: Cross-section and dimensions

Ac=Qvh=0.85310.20=4.266 m2Adopt depth H=1.0 m⇒B=AcH=4.27 m (adopt 4.3 m)Ltheo=vhHvs=0.20×1.00.0375=5.33 mL=max⁡(1.25 Ltheo, 30 vh)=max⁡(6.66, 6.00)=6.66 m (adopt 7.0 m)\begin{aligned} A_c &= \frac{Q}{v_h} = \frac{0.8531}{0.20} = 4.266\ \text{m}^2\\ \text{Adopt depth } H &= 1.0\ \text{m} \Rightarrow B = \frac{A_c}{H} = 4.27\ \text{m (adopt 4.3 m)}\\ L_{theo} &= \frac{v_h H}{v_s} = \frac{0.20\times 1.0}{0.0375} = 5.33\ \text{m}\\ L &= \max(1.25\,L_{theo},\ 30\,v_h) = \max(6.66,\ 6.00) = 6.66\ \text{m (adopt 7.0 m)} \end{aligned}

(25% is added for inlet and outlet turbulence, and the length is not allowed to give less than 30 s detention.)

Step 5: Checks

Detention time=Lvh=7.00.20=35 s (within 30-90 s)Surface loading=QB L=0.8531×864004.3×7.0=2449 m3/m2/day\begin{aligned} \text{Detention time} &= \frac{L}{v_h} = \frac{7.0}{0.20} = 35\ \text{s}\ (\text{within 30-90 s})\\ \text{Surface loading} &= \frac{Q}{B\,L} = \frac{0.8531\times 86400}{4.3\times 7.0} = 2449\ \text{m}^3/\text{m}^2\text{/day} \end{aligned}

Total depth =H+grit storage 0.25+free board 0.30=1.55= H + \text{grit storage } 0.25 + \text{free board } 0.30 = 1.55 m.

 Plan:   inlet ->[ <-- L = 7.0 m --> ]-> outlet (weir)
                 |  B = 4.3 m          |
 Section: water level ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  H = 1.0 m
          grit storage 0.25 m  ______________

Answer: provide a grit chamber (at least two units in parallel, each for the full flow so that one can be cleaned) of size L×B×H=7.0 m×4.3 m×1.0 mL\times B\times H = 7.0\ \text{m}\times 4.3\ \text{m}\times 1.0\ \text{m} (water depth), total depth about 1.55 m, with flow velocity 0.20 m/s.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

All Sanitary Engineering chapter 7 questions →