Screening and Comminution: Frank Deluise, Lawrence K. Wang, Shoou-Yuh Chang, and Yung-Tse Hung

1
Screening and Comminution
Frank Deluise, Lawrence K. Wang, Shoou-Yuh Chang,

and Yung-Tse Hung
CONTENTS
FUNCTION OF SCREENS AND COMMINUTORS
TYPES OF SCREENS
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND HYDRAULIC CONSIDERATIONS OF SCREENS
CLEANING METHODS FOR SCREENS
QUANTITY AND DISPOSAL OF SCREENINGS
COMMINUTORS
ENGINEERING SPECIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
ENGINEERING DESIGN
DESIGN EXAMPLES
NOMENCLATURE
REFERENCES
1. FUNCTION OF SCREENS AND COMMINUTORS

In order for water and wastewater treatment plants to operate effectively, it is neces-
sary to remove or reduce early in the treatment process large suspended solid material
that might interfere with operations or damage equipment. Removal of solids may be
accomplished through the use of various size screens placed in the flow channel. Any
material removed may then be ground to a smaller size and returned to the process
stream or disposed of in an appropriate manner such as burying or incineration. An
alternative to actual removal of the solids by screening is to reduce the size of the solids
by grinding them while still in the waste stream; this grinding process is called com-
minution (1–8). Coarse screens (bar racks) and comminutors are usually located at the
very beginning of a treatment process, immediately preceding the grit chambers (Fig. 1).
To ensure continuous operation in a flow process, it is desirable to have the screens or
comminutors installed in parallel in the event of a breakdown or to provide for overhaul
of a unit. With this arrangement, flow is primarily through the comminutor and diverted
to the coarse (bar) screens only when necessary to shut down the comminutor. Fine
screens are usually placed after the coarse (bar) screens.
From: Handbook of Environmental Engineering, Volume 3: Physicochemical Treatment Processes

Edited by: L. K. Wang, Y.-T. Hung, and N. K. Shammas © The Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ
1
2 Frank Deluise et al.
Fig. 1. Location of screens and comminutors in a wastewater treatment plant.
2. TYPES OF SCREENS
2.1. Coarse Screens
Screens may be classified as coarse or fine. Coarse screens are usually called bar
screens or racks and are used where the wastewater contains large quantities of coarse
solids that might disrupt plant operations. These bar screens consist of parallel bars
spaced anywhere from 1.27 cm (1/2 in.) to 10.16 cm (4 in.) apart with no cross-members
other than those required for support. The size of the spacing depends on the type of
waste being treated (size and quantity of solids) and the type of equipment being pro-
tected downstream in the plant. These screens are placed either vertically or at an
angle in the flow channel. Installing screens at an angle allows easier cleaning (par-
ticularly if by hand) and more screen area per channel depth, but obviously requires
more space.
2.2. Fine Screens
Fine screens have openings of less than 0.25 in. and are used to remove solids
smaller than those retained on bar racks. They are used primarily in water or wastewater
containing little or no coarse solids. In many instances, fine screens are used for the recov-
ery of valuable materials that exist as finely divided solids in industrial waste streams.
Most fine screens use a relatively fine mesh screen cloth (openings anywhere from
0.005 to 0.126 in.) rather than bars to intercept the solids. A screen cloth covers discs or
drums, which rotate through the wastewater. The disc-type screen (Fig. 2) is a vertical
hoop with a screen cloth covering the area within the hoop, and mounted on a horizon-
tal shaft that is positioned slightly above the surface of the water. Water flows through
the screen parallel to the horizontal shaft and the solids are retained on the screen, which
carries them out of the water as it rotates. Solids may then be removed from the upper
part of the screen by water sprays or mechanical brushing.
The drum-type screen (Fig. 3) consists of a cylinder covered by a screen cloth with
the drum rotating on a horizontal axis, slightly less than half submerged. Wastewater
enters the inside of the drum at one end and flows outward through the screen cloth.
Solids collect inside the drum on the screen cloth and are carried out of the water as the
drum rotates. Once out of the water, the solids may be removed by backwater sprays,
forcing the solids off the screen into collecting troughs.

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Screening and Comminution

Frank Deluise, Lawrence K. Wang, Shoou-Yuh Chang,

1. FUNCTION OF SCREENS AND COMMINUTORS

From: Handbook of Environmental Engineering, Volume 3: Physicochemical Treatment Processes

Fig. 1. Location of screens and comminutors in a wastewater treatment plant.

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