Description of sludge collector in a sedimentation tank for drinking water treatment

Abstract

This work was carried out for the Vista Bella water treatment plant in Morelia, Michoacán, fed with water from the Cointzio dam, which brings more and more solid waste. The cleaning of the sedimentation tanks is done manually, every 3 or 4 months depending on the accumulation of sludge, which leads to a risk for the operating personnel. The objective is to transform the way in which sludge is collected in the sedimentation tank, for which the various existing forms of sludge extraction were studied and a purge system was chosen using the hydrostatic pressure differential, which is expected to save economic, energy and natural resources. The proposed sludge extractor would extend the washing period of the tanks, which will contribute to less waste of the hydraulic resource and keep operators without risks. This automated system will extract the sludge more efficiently, modifying the purge.