Tube settlers and parallel plates increase the settling capacity of circular/rectangular clarifiers by reducing the vertical distance a floc particle must settle before agglomerating to form larger particles.
This is based on settlement of colloidal particles by providing a larger surface area.
Tube settlers use multiple tubular channels sloped at an angle of 60° and adjacent to each other, which combine to form an increased effective settling area. This provides for a particle settling depth that is significantly less than the settling depth of a conventional clarifier, reducing settling times. Tube settlers capture the settleable fine floc that escapes the clarification zone beneath the tube settlers and allows the larger floc to travel to the tank bottom in a more settleable form. The tube settler's channel collects solids into a compact mass which promotes the solids to slide down the tube channel.
