THICKENER – Explained
Inside-Out | May 24, 2021
What is a thickener?
A thickener is generally used in slurry applications and in waste water management where large scale separation of unwanted fine-grained solids and liquids is required.
The thickener from ͬ³ÇÔ¼ÅÚ Industries produces high density underflow slurry and clear overflow water. Up to 85 to 90% water is recovered from the feed. The recovered water can then be re-used for further washing application.
The automation of the thickener has certainly ensured efficient operation and has lessened the dependency on man power.
Technology decoded – Key points
- A thickener facilitates gravity feed from the washing plant to ensure rapid settlement of solids in the thickener tank. The pumped feed and the turbulence caused by it is neglected.
- The feed well tank design at the centre further reduces the turbulence and feed to the centre of the tank makesmaximum available time for material settling.
- The integrated flocculant dosing system (FDS) pumps pre-mixed flocculant (coagulant) to the material in the feed tank to ensure rapid settlement of the slurry.
- A single hydraulic motor drivingthe integrated rake mechanism ensures even settling of the sludge with optimum sludge conditioning. This maximises the performance and efficiency of the thickener.
ͬ³ÇÔ¼ÅÚ AVTH Thickener
The AVTH Thickener from ͬ³ÇÔ¼ÅÚ Industries has a simple yet robust design, lesser space is required to accommodate settling ponds and maximum settlement of solids happens in the smallest area.
Salient features
- Almost 85% to 90% of water is recycled.
- ͬ³ÇÔ¼ÅÚ AVTH Thickener series can be used as clarifiers for removal of minerals or fines from the process water.
- Gravity settling supported by rake mechanism allows even settlement of the sludge in the discharge area and provides clear overflow which can be directly reused for washing process.
- The elevated tank ensures easy, quick and safe access to the cone section, slurry pump and auxiliaries, thus minimizing the time required for maintenance.
- Electrically driven agitator allows easy maintenance and reduces inventory for parts.
- Automatic functioning of thickener (Slurry pump& gate valve ON/OFFafter the rake arm pressure reaches the defined pressure and the preceding operation)neglects the settling problem of sludge and pump failure.
- With flocculent dosing system, it ensures optimum settling of the solids and provides efficient water recovery.
- Optimum separation of slurry due to flocculant addition reduces the amount of sludge outlet which helps to reduce the size of settling ponds.
