Experimental Investigation and CFD Modelling of Settling Efficiency in a Cylindrical Tank

Evaluating the performance of a settling tank is an important issue for wastewater system managers. The relevance of a CFD approach for determining the settling efficiency of a tank has already been demonstrated from experimental data obtained from scale models of basins. The CFD modelling strategy is based on the resolution of Navier-Stokes equations to calculate the flow (Eulerian approach), and then on a Newton equation to calculate particle trajectories (Lagrangian approach). In this study, experimental data on settling efficiency are collected in a 1 scale cylindrical settling tank constructed in the laboratory. Eighteen experiments were carried out to collect data (settling efficiency) for a range of flow rates (between 5 and 30 l/s) and three materials representative of the sediments encountered in sewage networks. These data were then compared with the results obtained by CFD modelling to assess the relevance of the numerical approach for a full-scale structure.