Hydrodynamic Modelling of Sedimentation Tanks

Sedimentation is one of the principal processes used in the water industry to treat domestic and industrial effluents. In this paper the hydrodynamic characteristics of a standard circular sedimentation tank have been studied using a one-twentieth scale physical model and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The experimental data have been compared with the numerical CFD predictions; good agreement has been obtained, especially in areas of high flow velocity. The physical and numerical models have been used to study the effects of tank configuration on its hydraulic performance.