High-Rate Lamella Clarifier

High-Rate Lamella Clarifier – Compact Gravity Separation at Its Best  

 

The High-Rate Lamella Clarifier is an advanced solids–liquid separator that multiplies settling area without enlarging footprint. Based on the “shallow-depth sedimentation” principle, it houses a stack of parallel, 50–100 mm spaced inclined plates or tubes inside a stainless-steel or epoxy-coated steel tank. Water enters through a flocculation chamber, then flows upward between the plates; solids settle onto the inclined surfaces, slide downward into a conical sludge hopper, while clarified water overflows into peripheral collection launders. With surface loading rates of 15–40 m h⁻¹—up to ten times a conventional basin—the unit achieves >90 % TSS removal in 20–30 min residence time and occupies only 5–15 % of the land area.  

 

Key advantages include no moving parts, low energy consumption, and the ability to retrofit existing plants simply by replacing or stacking additional plate packs. Available in counter-current, co-current or cross-flow configurations, the clarifier handles municipal raw water, paper-mill whitewater, textile dye effluent, mining tailings and FGD scrubber blow-down. Optional sludge recirculation and automatic desludging valves further enhance performance, making the High-Rate Lamella Clarifier the go-to solution for space-critical, high-throughput clarification.