Counter-current Lamella Clarifier

Counter-current Lamella Clarifier – Space-Saving, High-Rate Sedimentation for Industrial and Municipal Wastewater  

 

The Counter-current Lamella Clarifier is a gravity-driven separator that maximizes settling capacity by stacking parallel inclined plates inside a compact tank. In this counter-current mode, influent flows upward between 55–60° plates while solids settle downward against the current, creating an efficient opposing motion that accelerates particle removal. The closely spaced plates enlarge the effective settling area by a factor of 8–12 compared with conventional basins, enabling surface loading rates of 15–40 m h⁻¹ and reducing hydraulic retention time to 20–30 minutes.  

 

Pre-coagulated wastewater enters a distribution chamber at the base, passes evenly across the plate bundle, and emerges as clarified overflow from peripheral launders at the top. Separated solids slide along the plate surfaces into a conical or pyramidal sludge hopper, where they are periodically withdrawn by hydrostatic head or a simple diaphragm valve—no mechanical scrapers are required.