Sewerage and Sewage Treatment

by Harold E. Babbitt

The rate of filtration may be as high as 2,000,000 gallons per acre per day, which is equivalent to 200 gallons per cubic yard of material per day in a bed 6 feet deep. This is more than double the rate permissible in a contact bed. The exact rate to be used for any particular plant should be determined by tests. It is dependent on the quality of the sewage to be treated, on the depth of the bed, the size of the filling material, the weather, and other minor factors.

The filtering material is similar to that used in a contact bed. It should consist of hard, rough, angular material, about 1 to 2 inches in size. Larger sizes will permit more rapid rates of filtration, but will not produce so good an effluent. Smaller sizes will clog too rapidly.

The depth of the filter is limited by the possibility of ventilation and the strength of the filtering material to withstand crushing. The deeper the bed the less the expense of the distribution and collecting system for the same volume of material, and the more rapid the permissible rate of filtration. The depths in use vary between 6 and 10 feet, with 6 to 8 feet as a satisfactory mean. From a biologic standpoint the action of the filter seems to be proportional to the volume of the filtering material and therefore proportional to the depth of the bed, being limited to a minimum depth of about 5 feet, below which sewage may pass through the filter without treatment. The shape and other dimensions of the filter depend on the local conditions and the economy of construction. The filters need not be broken up into units by water-tight dividing walls. One filter can be constructed sufficient for all needs and various portions of it can be isolated as units by the manipulation of valves in the distribution system. Ventilation is provided by the air entrained with the sewage as it falls upon the surface. If the sides of the filter are built of open stone crib work the ventilation will be greatly improved, but it will not be possible to flood the filters to keep down flies, and in cold climates these openings must be covered in winter to prevent freezing. Filters have been constructed without side walls, the filtering material being allowed to assume its natural angle of repose. This has usually been found to be more expensive than the construction of side retaining walls, due to the unused filling material and the extra underdrains required.

The distribution of sewage is ordinarily effected by a system of pipes and spray nozzles as shown in Fig. 168 and 169. Other methods of distribution have been used. At Springfield, Mo.,[^[160]] a moving trough from which the sewage flows continuously is drawn back and forth across the bed by means of a cable. In England circular beds have been constructed and the sewage distributed on them through revolving perforated pipes. At the Great Lakes Naval Training Station[^[161]] the distributing pipes in the plant, now abandoned, were supported above the surface of the filter. The sewage fell from holes in the lower side of these pipes on to brass splash plates 14 inches above the filter. It was deflected horizontally from these plates over the filter surface. Pipes and spray nozzles have been adopted almost universally in the United States. Splash plates, traveling distributors, and other forms of distribution have been used only in exceptional cases. In a distributing system consisting of pipes and nozzles, a network of pipes is laid out somewhat as shown in Fig. 168, in such a manner that the head loss to all points is approximately equal. The number of valves required should be reduced to a minimum. The pipes may be laid out with the main feeders leading from a central point and branches at right angles to them, somewhat on the order of a spider’s web, or they may be laid out on a rectangular or gridiron system. The radial system is advantageous because of the central location of the control house, but it does not always lend itself favorably to the local conditions, and the piping and nozzle location are not so simple. The gridiron system lends itself favorably to the equalization of head losses. The pipes used should be larger than would be demanded by considerations of economy alone, both for the purpose of reduction of head loss and ease in cleaning. No pipe less than 6 inches in diameter should be used, and the average velocity of flow should not exceed one foot per second. Cast-iron, concrete, or vitrified clay pipe may be used, but cast iron is the material commonly used. The system should be arranged for easy flushing and cleaning and the pipes so sloped that the entire system can be drained in case of a shut down in cold weather.

Fig. 168.—Section through Sprinkling Filter at Fitchburg, Mass., Showing Distribution System.
Eng. Record, Vol. 67, p. 634.

The pipes are placed far enough below the surface of the filling material so that the top of the spraying nozzle is 6 to 12 inches above the surface of the filter. If the pipes are placed near the surface they are accessible for repairs, but are exposed to temperature changes. If the pipes are large their presence near the surface of the filter may seriously affect the distribution of the sewage through the filter. If the distributing pipes are placed near the bottom of the filter they are inaccessible for repairs and the nozzles must be connected to them by means of long riser pipes. The distributing pipes should be supported by columns extending to the foundation of the filter bed, there being a column at every pipe joint with such intermediate supports as may be required. In some plants the pipes have been supported by the filtering material. Although slightly less expensive in first cost the practice of so supporting the pipes is poor, as settling of the material may break the pipe or cause leaks, and if the bed becomes clogged, removal of the material is made more difficult. Valves should be placed in the distributing system in such a manner that different sets of nozzles can be cut out at will, thus resting those portions of the filter and permitting repairs without shutting down the entire filter.

The spacing of the nozzles is fixed by the type and size of the nozzle, the available head, and the rate of filtration. Various types of sprinkler nozzles are shown in Fig. 169 and the discharge rates, head losses, and distances to which sewage is thrown for the Taylor nozzles, are shown in Fig. 170. Nozzles are available which will throw circular, square, or semicircular sprays. In the use of circular sprays there is necessarily some portion of the filter which is underdosed if the nozzles are placed at the corners of squares with the sprays tangent, and there is an overdosing of other portions if the sprays are allowed to overlap so that no portion of the filter is left without a dose. Rectangular sprays will apparently overcome these difficulties, but studies have shown that circular sprays with some overlapping, and the nozzles placed at the apexes of equilateral triangles as shown in Fig. 172 will give as satisfactory distribution as other forms.

Fig. 169.—Sprinkling Filter Nozzles.
Bulletin No. 3, Engineering Experiment Station, Purdue University.