Abstract
The dissolved air flotation (DAF) process has been widely used for removing suspended solids with low density in water. It has been known as measuring the size of microbubbles precisely which move upward rapidly in contact zone is difficult. In this study particle counter monitoring (PCM) method is used to measure the rising microbubble after injection from a nozzle. Size and distribution curve of microbubbles are evaluated at different conditions such as pressure drop at intermediate valve, length of pipeline between saturation tank and nozzle and low pressure. And the efficiency is also checked when it collides with different size floc. The experimental results show the following fact. As the final pressure drop occurred closer to a nozzle, the bubble size became smaller. And small bubble collides with large floc as well as small one because of its physical characteristic. However large bubble collides well with large floc rather than small one since hydrodynamic flow in streamline interferes to collide between two. With performing computational process by mathematical model we have analyzed and verified the size effect between bubble and floc. Collision efficiency is the highest when P/B ratio shows in the range of 0.75 < P/B ratio ($R_{particle/Rbubble}$) < 2.0.
