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The most turbulent area found in “standard” inclined plate clarifier design is the area between the influent trough and the entrance to the plate pack. Short circuiting, high velocity areas and Eddy currents are present throughout this area, creating turbulence and misdistribution at the main plate pack entry areas.

In researching ways to minimize these problems, we discovered something interesting. First we altered the influent configurations and influent baffling. These changes did help minimize these issues but not enough to make a significant difference. Our real breakthrough came when we combined co-current and counter-current designs. This “hybrid” design greatly improved fluid dynamics throughout the entire clarifier. This configuration also allows us to take advantage of both co-current and counter-current design principles (as detailed in “Wastewater Engineering” by Metcalf and Eddy). The results are a step up from any of the other clarifier designs available today.

The net benefit of this “hybrid” design is greatly improved hydraulic loading and an improvement in the overall efficiency of the clarifier.

Influent distribution is greatly improved.
HydroFloTech’s influent configuration allows for the largest influent trough configuration available in the market. This huge 504 square inch connection between the clarifier and the flash/floc tank reduces influent velocities to the lowest available anywhere. This creates the ideal transition from clarifier influent to the primary co-current plate packs. The cross-sectional resistance created by the primary co-current plate packs in combination with the counter-current plate packs and HydroFloTech’s adjustable effluent trough system gives us better influent flow distribution than any other style clarifier on the market. This gives us far superior plate coverage and greater operation efficiencies than traditional designs.

Large quantities of solids are immediately removed from the waste stream by the co-current section.
The largest, heaviest, fastest settling floc particles are all trapped by the central co-current pack. Over 40% of the TSS are removed in this section. Often, numbers in excess of 50% are attainable. These solids are carried along the surfaces of the co-current plate packs (past the flow transition point from co-current to counter-current) directly into the sludge collection chamber.

Solids handling, as well as solids loading ratios are greatly improved over the typical counter-current designs available in the market. 
One of the greatest issues faced by traditional counter-current clarifiers is the impact that accumulated solids have on overall clarifier efficiency. As the solids accumulate on the surfaces of the plates, they have to migrate along the surfaces of the plate to the bottom of the plate where they are discharged into the sludge collection chamber. As these solids accumulate, they reduce the effective “gap” or space between the plates. This increases the velocities through the plate packs reducing the clarifiers efficiency and increasing the possibility of floc carryover. By eliminating large quantities of solids in the co-current pack section, we are reducing the solids loading on the counter-current section. Less solids in the counter-current section means that our plate gaps will remain larger than other clarifier designs. Larger gaps mean lower overall velocities and less probability of floc carryover.

By utilizing the influent distribution area, our overall package is more compact than any competitive model.
Space is always a major consideration in the design, as well as the overall cost, of any water treatment facility. HydroFloTech’s hybrid design reduces a typical clarifier’s footprint by as much as 25%.

These advanced design elements, along with our standard features, make the HydroFloTech ClariMax™ the finest Inclined Plate Clarifier available today.