Abstract
The operation of flocculation process and the evaluation thereof have been mainly based on G, t and $G{\times}t$ values which are available from design guidelines and texts. However, their suggested ranges are too wide to find the optimum condition specific to a particular water treatment plant and none of the existing method can be used to evaluate and suggest the optimum operational condition. Recently, a commercially available particle counter is found to be useful in determining the flocculation process based on the particle dynamics. The optimum condition is defined as one that best suits the purpose of flocculation; the number of small particles should decrease, while that of large particles should increase. The experiments were performed at two conventional water treatment plants in Korea, one with horizontal mechanical flocculators, and another with vertical type mechanical flocculators. In this paper, experiences to evaluate the flocculation process and to suggest the optimum operation condition will be presented. Although particle counting method is found to be beneficial compared to any other existing methods, the optimum condition is very much site-specific and should be evaluated at each water treatment plant for different conditions.
