Experience with Ceramic Plate Diffusers in Large Activated Sludge Plants
Fine pore aeration systems were evaluated in a U.S.EPA sponsored study of oxygen transfer efficiency in 26 activated sludge plants. Two plants in the study, those of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, had aeration systems composed of flat plates grouted into containers placed flush with the basin floor. The remaining plants in the study had aeration systems utilizing various disk, dome, and tube devices that are now in far more widespread use than the flat plates. The District's aeration basins gave better oxygen transfer efficiency than the other ceramic diffuser systems studied. The difference may have been the result of the high tank area to diffuser area ratio and the low air flux rates associated with the plate systems. At one MMSD plant there were also four basins with recently installed ceramic disk diffuser systems. This provided an opportunity for side-by-side comparisons between the disks and the flat plates in containers. An analysis of diffuser system first costs and energy costs indicated that the ceramic plate system could be cost effective at higher power costs, but not at the prices presently paid by the District for power.