Detention time:
It is defined as the average theoretical time required for water to flow along the length of the sedimentation tank.
In continuous-flow sedimentation tanks, the actual detention period used in practice should be more than twice the theoretical detention period.
It is given by the ratio of the volume of the tan to the rate of flow:
[Valid for both rectangular and circular tanks]
It can also be calculated as:
[Valid for rectangular tank only]
Here,
V - Volume of the tank (m
3)
For a rectangular tank,
V = L × B × H
For a circular tank,
Where
L - Length of the tank (m), B - Width of the tank (m), H - Height of the tank (m)
d - Diameter of the circular tank (m), Q - Rate of flow (m
3/sec) = A × v
A - Area of c\s (m
2) = B × H, t
d - Detention time (sec)
v - Average velocity of the flow (m/sec)