Hydro-Flo Inclined Plate Clarifiers

The Hydro-Flo Inclined Plate Clarifier (IPC) is a great solution for removing suspended solids in a waste stream.

The separation of solids (in a "lamella" or "parallel plate" or "Inclined plate" clarifier) is most strongly related to the available projected surface area.  The Hydro-Flo IPC uses a series of closely spaced inclined plates to provide the required settling surface area achieving a large settling surface area in a very small footprint.

Hydro-Flo Clarifiers can handle flow rates from 50 GPM up to 2,750 GPM.   

The Inclined Plate Clarifier, or lamella, was first described and quantified by Hazen in 1904.  The lamella consists of a series of closely spaced flat plates inclined at an angle of from 45 to 60 degrees from horizontal.  Preconditioned water with entrained solids enters the plate area at or near the bottom and flows upward between the plates. This is referred to as a counter-current flow pattern. The path length, plate spacing, and angle of the plate are the usual engineering variables. As the flow rises between pairs of plates, the heavy solids with a specific gravity higher than the surrounding water will settle onto the top surface of the lower plate, and slide down the inclined surface to be collected in the sludge hopper. Clear, near solids free water, then exits the top of the plate area and overflows an adjustable weir.

This technology has been successfully applied to a wide variety of industrial processes including:

• Solids from scrubber water
• Lime containing solids from fluoride and phosphate removal
• Vegetable fluming
• Solids and turbidity from surface water
• Cooling tower blow down
• Heavy metal precipitation
• Stone washing of textiles
• Filter backwash water
• Abrasive polishing
• Paint booth solids
• Bottom ash
• Mill scale
• Food grade starch

Preconditioning Requirements

Most clarifier applications require preconditioning of the wastewater using a coagulant and a flocculating polymer. The more common coagulants are inorganic salts such as alum, ferric chloride, ferrous sulfate, lime, sodium hydroxide or organic polymers. The preconditioning requirement is usually site specific and will impact operating cost, effluent quality, sludge volume and possibly water reuse.

The Hydro-Flo IPC Clarifier can handle most difficult wastewater applications as a stand alone system, or with any combination of chemical inputs including liquid polyelectrolytes, dry powders, and organic and inorganic wastewater chemicals with various injection rates.

Advantages of the Hydro-Flo Inclined Plate Clarifier: 

• The Hydro-Flo Inclined Plate Clarifier is available in a number of different configurations designed to solve a tremendous variety of wastewater conditions, making it the most versatile system available.

• Clarifier plates at set at a 55 degree angle for optimum settling of solids.

• A large diameter integral sludge auger operates at a slow speed to thicken and convey sludge to discharge of clarifier.

• A non-clogging inlet diffusion chamber that distributes flow evenly over width of separator.

• The Hydro-FLo Clarifier has a much smaller footprint than other clarifiers having the same settling area.