Survey of accelator and pulsator system performance to contaminants removal from drinking water

ABSTRACT

Nowadays, to accelerate the process of turbidity removal in water treatment plants, the Accelator and Pulsator clarifiers are used. In this research, a comparison of the performance of these two systems in the TOC and turbidity removal as well as the consumption of chemicals in them is considered. In this study, 1,170 samples of raw water, effluent from clarifiers and filtered water were taken for nine months. Then turbidity; pH, alkalinity, Hardness, TOC and iron of the samples were measured. Saturation index [SI] was also calculated. Also the amount of consumed chemicals was recorded and the ratio of chemicals consumption to raw water turbidity and removed TOC was obtained. All sampling and examination procedures were conducted based on standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. The results indicated that the removal efficiency average of turbidity in the study period [nine months] in the Accelator and Pulsator system obtained were 46.2% +/- 16.2% and 75.9% +/- 10.9% respectively. The removal efficiency of TOC in the Accelator and Pulsator system obtained were 9.5% +/- 1.8% and 68.5% +/- 12.3% percent respectively. The amount of consumed coagulants in Pulsator was 0.20-0.25 of its consumption, in Accelator system. Water quality of Pulsator effluent was, at last,more desirable than Accelator. According to the results the use of Accelator treatment systems compared with Pulsator in water treatment plants does not have a desirable quality for drinking water and also Causs increase in the cost of consumed chemicals