There are many sedimentation basin shapes. They can be rectangular, circular, and square.
1. Rectangular Basins
Rectangular basins are commonly found in large-scale water treatment plants. Rectangular tanks are popular as they tend to have:
- High tolerance to shock overload
- Predictable performance
- Cost effectiveness due to lower construction cost
- Lower maintenance
- Minimal short circuiting.
Fig. 3.2: Square and Circular Basins. Source: Huber Company, Berching, Germany, 2012
2. Circular and Square Basins
Circular basins are frequently referred to as clarifiers. These basins share some of the performance advantages of the rectangular basins, but are generally more prone to short circuiting and particle removal problems.
Read Also: Sedimentation Processes in Waste-water Treatment
For square tanks the design engineer must be certain that some types of sludge removal equipment for the corners are installed.
NB: Note that whereas most of the above facts concern water treatment, most of them still obtain in waste-water treatment, hence the need to have them discussed under this unit.