TYPES OF FILTERS

Based on rate of filtration

• Slow sand filters
• Rapid sand filters

Rapid gravity filters

 Pressure filters
Slow Sand Filter
Components of Slow sand filters
 Enclosure tank
 Filter media
 Base material
 Under drainage system
 Inlet and outlet arrangements
 Other Appertenances
Enclosure tank
An open watertight tank – usually rectangular, built
below ground level
Constructed using stone or brick masonry with water
proofing coating.
Floor has slope of 1 in 100 to 1 in 200 towards central
drain.
 Filteration rate → 100 to 200 litres per square metre
 Depth→ 2.50- 4m
 Surface area → 50-1000 m²
Filter Media
 A sand layer of 90 to 110 cm thick.
 Effective size – D10 → 0.2 to 0.4mm – usually 0.3mm
 Uniformity coefficient – 2 to 3- common 2.5
 Normally 4 or 5 layer is provided
 Finer particles as top layer - Top 15cm, uniformly graded
• It should be free from dirt and impurities
 It should be hard and durable
 It should be uniform in nature and size
 It should not lose its weight more than 5%, after being placed in
HCl for 24 hrs.
Base material
Usually 30 to 75 cm of thick gravel (3 to 4 layers of 15-20 cm thick gravel)


Top most layer 3 - 6mm

6 - 12mm
↓ 12 - 20mm
20 - 40mm
Bottom 40 - 65mm

Under drainage system

System consist of a central drain collecting water from a number of lateral drains.


 Earthenware pipes or perforated pipes of 7.5 to 10 cm diameter is used.

Open jointed laterals are placed 2 - 3 m c/c


 Central drain collects the water from laterals and delivers to the outlet chamber.
A sloped floor to collect the water in the central width wise drain

Inlet and outlet arrangements
 Inlet is a suitable size (square), chamber
 Inlet allow the entering water to distribute uniformly on filter bed
 Outlet chamber is also a similar one
 In order to maintain constant head, a telescopic(adjustable) pipe is fitted
Other Appertenances
 Devices for measuring loss of head through filter media
 Devices for controlling depth of water above filter media
 Devices for maintaining constant rate of flow
 Working of Filter
• Water to be treated should not be coagulated
• Water from plain sedimentation tank is entered to the
filter basin through inlet chamber.
• Depth of water should be equal to thickness of sand
medium
• Water passes downward through sand bed, gravel and
then collected by under drainage system.
• Slow sand filter works by combination of both straining
as well as microbiological action.
• 3 zones of purification occurs in filter media
 Surface coating (schmutzdecke or dirty skin)
 Autotrophic zone (few mm below dirty skin)
 Hetrotrophic zone (extend some 30 cm in bed)

Cleaning of Filter Media

• Top layer of sand is scrapped manually and removed up to 15mm to
30 mm.
• After this filter is put into operation.
• At this stage filter is put to operation for 12 hours
• Filter requires cleaning after 20 to 40 days
Note:

 Minimum possible loss of head→ 15-30cm

The loss of head called filter head is kept approximately equal to 0.70-0.80


times the depth of sand, to put it out of service for cleaning

 The pure water comes out only if dirty skin layer is formed

Advantages:

Efficient against bacteria removal as high as 98-99%



 Remove odour and taste, by removing organic impurities

Colour removal →up to 50mg/l



 Uses →For small water supply schemes

 Uneconomical, due to small rate of filtration and large area requirements

3D VIEW
RAPID SAND FILTER
 COMPONENTS OF RAPID SAND FILTER

• ENCLOSURE TANK
• FILTER MEDIA
• BASE MATERIAL
• UNDERDRAINAGE SYSTEM
• APPURTENANCES
Enclosure Tanks
 Usually smaller in size and placed under a roof
 Open rectangular water tight tank – masonry or concrete
 Depth → 2.5 to 3.5 m
 Each unit has surface area →20 -50 m2
 Length to width ratio – 1.25 to 1.35
 Each units arranged in series
 Number of units → 1.22 Q
Where Q → plant capacity in MLd
Min → 2 units
Filter Media
 Sand bed → 60-90 cm depth, each layer 15-20 cm
 D10 → 0.35 to 0.6 mm (common value 0.45mm)
 Uniformity coefficient →1.2 - 1.7 (common value 1.5)
 Finer to coarse towards bottom
Base Material
 Gravel bed → 45 - 60cm
Top most layer 2 - 6mm
6 - 12mm
↓ 12 - 20mm
Bottom 20 - 50mm
Note: 6 to 8 cm thick layer of garnet or ilmenite is placed at top of gravel bed,
especially in backwashing
Under drainage system
It mainly serves two purposes
 Collect the filtered water uniformly over the area of gravel
bed
 Provides uniform distribution of backwash water without
disturbing gravel bed and filter media.
Under drainage systems are
 Perforated pipe system
 Pipe and strainer system
 Wheeler system
 Leopald system
 Wagner System
Perforated pipe system
 System consist of a main header with several lateral pipes on both sides.

6-12mm dia. Opening are made, inclined 30℃with vertical, near bottom for laterals


 laterals are placed at 15 to 30 cm c/c

 Sometimes holes are staggered

 Sometimes brass bushings are inserted

 Placed over 40-50 mm cement concrete block.

Pipe and Strainer system

 Laterals are attached to manifold

 Instead of perforation, strainers are fixed at suitable intervals (15cm, c/c)

 Sometimes strainers are fixed on main pipe without laterals

 When strainers are used, rate of back washing is as low as 250-300 lit/min/m2 (Low
washing) against 700-800lit/min/m² (High washing) for other types
Other Appertenances

• Wash water troughs

• Air Compressors

• Rate control device

 VALVES IN WORKING OF RAPID SAND FILTER

• Valve 1 – Inlet Valve

• Valve 2 – Waste water valve to drain water
from inlet chamber
• Valve 3 – Waste water valve to drain water
from main drain
• Valve 4 – Filtered water storage tank valve
• Valve 5 – compressed air valve
• Valve 6 – Wash water storage tank valve
 NORMAL WORKING
• All the valves are kept closed except valve 1
and 4
• When valve 1 is opened water is permitted to
the inlet chamber
• Filteration occur through the filter media
• Filtered water is collected by opening valve 4
• Filters are normally designed for a filteration
rate of 3000 to 6000 litres per hour per m2.
 BACK WASHING
• Back washing is done by sending air and water
upwards through the bed by reverse flow

• Close valve 1 and 4 and open valve 5 and 6

• Compressed air and wash water moves upwards

through the filter in the upward direction.

• Back washed water collected in the inlet

chamber is removed by opening valve 2.
 Continued Working
• After back washing valve 5, 6 and 2 are
closed.
• Water is allowed inside to the inlet chamber by
opening valve 1.
• Filteration is continued, and the first set of
filtered water is removed outside by opening
valve 3 as it may contain some amount of
impurities after backwashing
• After a few minutes valve 3 is closed and
valve 4 is opened to maintain normal working.
Design Considerations
Total cross-sectional area of perforation is about 0.2 to
0.3% of filter area
The cross-section area of 6mm dia. pipe is 4 times the
perforation in it
The cross-sectional area of 13 mm dia. pipe 2 times the
perforation
 The c/s area of manifold should be twice that of laterals
 l/d of laterals, >60
 Maximum velocity in the manifold is 1.80 to 2.4 m/sec
Other appurtenance
 Wash water trough
 square or v shape trough with material such as iron.
 1.5 to 2m c/c
Provided with small slope
Air compressor unit
 Duration of application → 4min or so
 Rate → 600 – 800 lit/min/m2
 Application → through lateral or separate pipe
Rate controller
 Venturi rate controller → to regulate the flow
Head loss indicator (Piezometer) →A mercury gauge is attached to both the filter bed and filtered
water drain

Back washing
Rate → 15-90 cm rise/minute, ave. → 45cm
Duration → 10-30 minutes
Pressure → 40 kN/m2
Frequency → 24 - 48 hrs
3D VIEW