Jar Test Overview & Calibration

Bob Jolly Relief Control Center Operator, DMWW Barb Duff Chemist, DMWW

What is jar testing

Common lab procedure Determine optimum operating conditions for your plant

Allows for adjustments in

pH Coagulant & polymer dose, location, brand Mixing speed

Simulates rapid mix, coagulation, flocculation and settling process Predicts functioning of full scale plant Times and concentrations in this presentation are specific to DMWW treatment plants

Jar Testing Apparatus  6 paddles stir the contents of six 2 liter jars at a uniform speed  One jar acts as a control  Operating conditions varied in the remaining 5 containers  RPM gauge controls mixing speed in all jars Gang style mixer

Advantage of 2L Square Jars

 Better

mixing  Mixing curve available  Better insulating properties  More water for testing 2 liters  Standard Sampling location (10cm) used to set settling velocity

Goal Hypothesis


WP Supervisor, Fleur Plant, asked:

Hypothesis: is 5mg/L ferric chloride, the current plant dosage, the correct chemical dose for optimum turbidity and cost efficiency Variable = Ferric Chloride

Basic Jar Test Procedure

 Before

We Begin:

Leg work

 Obtain
 

plant design

Plant engineer PBT facilitator

 Obtain


Plant parameters:

Plant Dose:
Ferric chloride Alum Carbon Lime

Obtain Plant Source Water Quality:

   

pH: T Alk: T Hard: Turbidity:

 Source Water:
 Wells  Reservoir  Lake  Rivers

Prepare Chemicals And Stock Solutions

 Decide

on chemical dose and volumes

 Workable

concentration

Collect Water Sample And Fill Jars Raw Water

Start Mixer Dose Coagulants Simultaneously Mix 2 min @ 20 rpm

Add chemicals in same sequence as the plant

RAPID MIX Coagulation 3 Minutes @ 238 rpm

Ferric Chloride = Variable Alum = Constant

0mg/L

2mg/L

4mg/L

5mg/L

8mg/L

10mg/L

FERRIC DOSE

Adjust Mixer Speed To Simulate Flocculation 31rpm Add Chemicals

Lime Addition pH 10.8

Flocculation

4 min @ 31 rpm then 28 min @ 13 rpm

Stop Mixer And Allow To Settle 15 minutes; 0 rpm

Sample Jars And Analyze

Record Visual Observations at All Stages

Beginning water quality: no turbidity Following alum and ferric addition: pin floc in jars 2 thru 6 Following lime addition: increase in floc size and density with increased ferric addition During settling: Deep settled floc in jars 4,5,6 Jar 1 showed minimal pin floc formation

Record Results on Worksheet

Jar # 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lime pH Ferric ppm 10.8 0 10.8 10.8 10.8 10.8 10.8 2 4 5 8 10 Alum ppm 5 5 5 5 5 5 NTU @ 15 min. 20 14.7 8.5 6.4 4.7 3.0

Interpret Results
Turbi it rri

NTU

l nt

se

4 rri

Opti ized f r turbidity reducti n nd c st

Draw Conclusions
 The

jar test established:

Jar test determined the optimum dose of ferric chloride is 4-5 mg/L. Plant adding correct 4dose (5mg/L) for optimum turbidity The ferric chloride plant dose could potentially be lowered to 4 mg/l if chemical cost is of concern

Id like to introduce Bob Jolly

Relief Control Center Operator

And Now For A Curveball .



  

Anyone who has done much jar testing has a story of frustration to share You can be very diligent in your jar testing Still not match the real world (plant) Jar tests that dont match the real world are of little value!

Reasons Jar Test Results May Not Match Actual Plant Conditions
     

Plant chemical feeders may not be feeding correctly Plant mixers may be turning at the wrong speed or could be plated and inefficient (or missing!!) Short circuiting Sample chemicals may be incorrectly mixed Incorrect calculations for jar test settings Many, many more

Performance Based Training

  

8 Iowa water utilities & DNR reps Process Applications, Inc. Learning about treatment plant optimization
 

Set goals for plant performance Used tools to measure and trend actual plant performance Learned to use Special Study approach to make improvements in plant performance

Jar Test Calibration

  

One type of special study is a jar test calibration



Actually a series of special studies

A common sense approach Each unit process is studied

  

Do jar test results match the plant? If not, why not? When results match, you are ready to add variables

Jar test calibration = efforts to achieve similar results between plant performance and the jar test

Jar Test Calibration

 

Steps will vary for different plants



McMullen Treatment Plant Quality control evaluation (calibrating the calibrator) Rapid mix calibration Flocculation calibration Sedimentation calibration

Four steps:
   

Quality Control Evaluation

 

Two identical jars are tested side-by-side side-by

Flocculation is a good test Spreadsheets Pencil/paper

Record all results and observations

 

 

Results should agree within +/- 15% +/If results do not agree:
 

Work on improving testing and sampling techniques Retest - Dont go to next step until you have this one down

Quality Control Evaluation

Quality Control Evaluation

Rapid Mix Calibration

 


Use six jars All mixed at the calculated speed and duration Raw water samples are dosed with ferric chloride
   

1 jar with no ferric chloride (control) 2 jars dosed below plant setting 1 jar dosed at plant setting (25 mg/L) 2 jars dosed above plant setting

Rapid Mix Calibration

  

Jar pHs checked after mixing period Compared to plant pH pH of jar 4 and plant should match

Rapid Mix Calibration

Rapid Mix Calibration

Possible Causes of Differences



Improper dosing of jars.

 

Check calculations Are the dispensers functioning properly Check calibration of feed pumps

   

Chemical feed pumps not feeding correctly



Determine cause of differences Repeat jar test calibration to verify results Record all setting for use in calibrated jar test

Flocculation Calibration
  

Use one 2 L jar



Sample from flocculation basin influent Lime and lime sludge

Add chemicals


Mix at proper speed and duration

Flocculation Calibration
   

At end of mixing time, wait for water to stop moving, then start timer Grab turbidity samples Be sure to flush sample tap before each sample Generate settling curve

Flocculation Calibration
    

Take sample of flocculation basin effluent



Handle this sample carefully so floc is not damaged

Use 2 L jar Grab turbidity samples Generate settling curve Compare settling curves of the two jars

Flocculation Calibration

Flocculation Calibration

Possible Causes of Differences



Many variables act on this settling curve

    

Mixer speed Mixing time Chemical feeds Short circuiting Disturbed sample of flocculation basin eff.

 

Determine cause of differences Repeat jar test calibration to verify results

Flocculation Calibration
  

Change only one variable at a time when retesting This will likely require multiple attempts Record all settings for use in actual calibrated jar test

Sedimentation Calibration


Use three 2 L jars



Sample from a calibrated jar test of flocculation process (preferred) Can use plant sample if necessary

 

When water stops moving, clock starts Collect 12 samples over 30 minutes
 

Alternate jars 4 samples/jar

Sedimentation Calibration

Sedimentation Calibration
   

Create a settling curve Determine the average sedimentation basin effluent turbidity Find point on graph where the turbidities match The time at that point is calibrated sedimentation time for our jar test

Sedimentation Calibration

Possible Problems


After 30 minutes, the settling curve turbidity may not have dropped to the actual plant turbidity

Possible Problems
  

In the plant, flocculation continues for a time in the sedimentation basin This may result in better settling in the plant In this situation we could:
  

do another test adding some slow mixing 5-10 rpm for several minutes begin sample collection for developing settling curve

Record all procedures used for the calibrated jar test

Jar Test Calibration

  

Should greatly reduce discrepancies between jar test results and actual plant conditions Makes the jar test a much more useful tool Confidence in your results will make the extra time spent worthwhile

Lessons Learned
  

Elevate jars to keep floc suspended Make sure chemicals are fresh Make sure you know:
 

Current chemical feed rates Concentration of chemical being fed Based on plant sludge concentration

   

Add sludge


Use a timer Dont leave pH probe in jar Record everything!!

Lessons Learned
  

Thoroughly clean jars and mixers to remove chemical residue 2L square jars preferred Coagulant dosing
  

Eppendorfs & Syringes preferred Dose close to paddle shaft Dose in sequence or together Flush sample taps slowly before sampling When collecting numerous samples, get help

Sampling


QUESTIONS?

Summary
 Jar Testing
Experimental method Plant conditions simulated in laboratory environment Allows experimentation without affecting water quality Allows evaluation of individual processes or entire treatment plant

MUST CALIBRATE FOR ACCURACY

Contacts


Mark Moeller  Mark.Moeller@dnr.iowa.gov Bunton, Jennifer  Jennifer.Bunton@dnr.iowa.gov Bob Jolly  Jolly@dmww.com Barb Duff  Duff@dmww.com