High Rate Thickener Design Calculator
Calculation Results
Required Area: m²
Calculated Diameter: m
Feed Flow Rate: m³/h
Underflow Flow Rate: m³/h
Overflow Flow Rate: m³/h
Rise Rate (Upflow): m/h
Understanding High Rate Thickener Design
High rate thickeners (HRT) are specialized sedimentation units designed to process high volumes of slurry in a smaller footprint compared to conventional thickeners. The design hinges on chemical flocculation and optimized solids loading rates.
Key Design Parameters
- Solids Loading Rate (SLR): The mass of solids processed per unit area per unit time (t/m²/h). High rate thickeners typically operate between 0.2 and 1.5 t/m²/h depending on the material.
- Rise Rate: The upward velocity of the liquid phase. For effective separation, the settling velocity of the flocculated particles must exceed this rise rate.
- Underflow Density: The concentration of solids in the discharge. Achieving higher underflow density reduces water loss and downstream processing costs.
The Sizing Formula
The primary area ($A$) is calculated based on the mass feed rate ($M$) and the allowable solids loading rate ($SLR$):
Area (A) = (Mass Feed Rate / Solids Loading Rate) × (1 + Safety Factor/100)
From the area, the diameter ($D$) is derived using the standard circle formula:
Diameter = √((4 × Area) / π)
Example Calculation
If you have a mining slurry feeding 200 t/h of dry solids, a specific gravity of 2.7, and laboratory testing indicates a viable Loading Rate of 0.8 t/m²/h:
- Required Area: 200 / 0.8 = 250 m²
- With 10% Safety Factor: 275 m²
- Diameter: √((4 × 275) / 3.14159) ≈ 18.7 meters.