SLuDGE bLANKET CLARIFIER FOR WATER TREATMENT ...

Taking care of the world’s water.
spiracone ® :
sludge blanket
clarifier
for water
treatment.

SPIRACONE OPERATION
APPLICATIONS
• Clarification
• Color Removal
• Iron Removal
• Softening
• Wastewater Treatment
• Phosphate Reduction
• Heavy Metals
USFilter’s General Filter SPIRACONE is an upflow sludge blanket clarifier that combines
mixing, flocculation, and sedimentation in a single treatment basin for maximum treated
water production in minimal space. Raw water and chemicals are hydraulically mixed and then
pass upward through distinct zones for reaction-flocculation, clarification, and sludge removal.
Hydraulic mixing eliminates mechanical mixers, while the conical shape eliminates scrapers.
The unit’s compact size reduces cost by minimizing land requirements, and the mixerless and
scraperless design minimizes maintenance.
Raw water and chemicals are introduced
at the base of a SPIRACONE. The
intricate design of the inlet structure
aids in directing the influent flow in
an upward expanding spiral without
disturbing the sludge blanket. The
velocity of the influent flow decreases as
it progresses up through the increasing
cross-sectional area in the SPIRACONE.
Turbulence between the high velocity
influent flow and the slower rising
water forms a mixing zone.
As the flow progresses up through
the unit, the rise rate becomes less than
the settling velocity of the precipitating
solids (floc). At this point, a sludge
blanket forms which acts as a filter and
catalyst, collecting small particles of
sludge. Chemicals are given intimate
Velocity Baffle
Controller
Effluent
Inlet
Start-up Jet
Grit Blowdown
Concrete Base
contact with turbidity, solids and/or
hardness in the water and the chemical
reactions are forced to completion.
Settling sludge concentrates in the
zero-velocity zone of the sludge hopper
and is intermittently drawn off. The
elevation of the sludge hopper is
adjustable to maximize process efficiency.
Heavier solids are removed from the
unit through the grit blowdown connection.
A start-up jet is provided to
assist in re-suspending settled solids after
a unit shutdown.
After rising through the clarification
zone, the high quality treated water
exits through the perimeter effluent
launder and proceeds to the rest of the
treatment plant.
Launder
Sludge Blanket
Adjustable Sludge
Hopper
Mixing Zone
Sludge Blowdown

SPIRACONE APPLICATIONS
PROVIDING QUALITY WATER
SPIRACONE PILOT PLANT
Edmond, OK, four 47’ diameter units, treating
12 MGD of surface water.
Wills Point, TX, two 36’ 6’’ diameter units,
treating 2 MGD of surface water.
USFilter’s General Filter SPIRACONE
pilot unit can be installed at a specific
location alone or in conjunction with
other General Filter pilot units to
finalize equipment or plant design.
The self-contained unit is ideal to
verify process design, to evaluate full
scale operation, or to estimate ancillary
equipment requirements.
Also available are pilot plants for
iron and manganese removal; a variety
of MULTIWASH filter plants; Aerator
for removal of dissolved gases; CON-
TRAFLO Solids Contact Reactor; and
SURF for treating surface water. In
addition, we have an instrumentation
skid and chemical feed skid available to
help with your equipment design.
TURBIDITY (NTU)
TURBIDITY (NTU)
25
20
15
10
5
0
16.0
14.0
12.0
10.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
EDMOND, OK
OPERATING DATA
Raw Water SPIRACONE Effluent
JUN JUL AUG SEP
DATE
OCT NOV DEC
0.0
APRIL 1
WILLS POINT, TEXAS
OPERATING DATA
Raw Water SPIRACONE Effluent
DATE
MAY 1

If it’s in the water, our engineered processes and equipment can take it out, economically
and dependably. Our comprehensive line includes solutions to simple and complex water
treatment and conditioning needs, all backed by working installations and years of
experience. Our line includes:
■ Adsorption Clarifiers ®
■ CONTRAFLO ® solids contact clarifiers
■ SPIRACONE ® sludge blanket clarifiers
■ Sludge Sucker sludge removal system
■ Sludge thickeners
■ Vertical and horizontal pressure filters
■ Aerators
■ AERALATER ® packaged treatment
Memcor CMF Microfiltration system
Microfloc Tridentsystem
USFilter products and processes are
protected by U.S. Patents, several
foreign patents and other patents
pending.
SCG1 0599
OTHER WATER TREATMENT PRODUCTS
■ Microfloc ® Trident ® packaged water
treatment
■ MULTIWASH ® Filtration Process
■ Gravity filtration equipment
■ MULTICRETE II monolithic underdrain
system
■ ESSD filter washtroughs and launder
systems
■ Memcor CMF Microfiltration System
CONTRAFLO clarifiers
Ballasted Flocculation Clarifiers
Taking care of the world’s water.
Memcor, Microfloc
General Filter Products
600 Arrasmith Trail
Ames, IA 50010
515.232.4121 phone
515.232.2571 fax
441 Main Street
P.O. Box 36
Sturbridge, MA 01566
508.347.7344 phone
508.347.7049 fax
1104 Kenilworth Drive
Fifth Floor
Towson, MD 21204
410.307.6540 phone
410.307.6542 fax
http://www.usfilter.com
© 1999 United States Filter Corporation