CFD Analysis on the Effect of Baffles Geometry on Sedimentation Efficiency

Abstract

Sedimentation tanks represent one of the most important components of any water and wastewater treatment plants. The lack of knowledge of hydraulics in sedimentation tank leads to unnecessary capital and operating costs as well as water pollution in the form of excessive sludge. The focus of this study is to apply Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to study and to improve the sedimentation efficiency through the optimization of the hydrodynamics inside the disinfection tank. In the present analysis, Large Eddy Simulation (LES) is used to simulate three-dimensional turbulent flow and scalar tracer transport in different settlers using a structured finite-volume discretization. The results show how the baffles’ geometry influences the retention time distribution of the tank, varying the sedimentation efficiency.