The IPC has minimal moving parts and wear components leading to direct O&M savings for the customer.
The Ellis Inclined Plate Clarifier (IPC) offers a large settling surface area in a very small footprint. Unlike the common clarifier, separation of solids is independent of the liquid volume. Instead the clarification is dependent on the available settling surface area.
To maximize the settling surface area the Ellis IPC uses a series of closely spaced inclined plates. The driving force for this separation is gravity acting upon the entrained solids.
HOW IT WORKS
Preconditioned feed with entrained solids enters the stilling chamber removing kinetic energy. All solids begin a downward flow in the now quiescent water. After flowing through the sludge chamber the feed is forced upward through the plates. This is referred to as a counter current flow pattern.
As the flow rises between the plates the heavy solids (with a specific gravity higher than the surrounding water) will settle onto the top surface of the lower plate and slide down the inclined surface to be collected in the sludge hopper.
Clean and clear effluent, flows to the top of the plate area and decants over an adjustable weir. Solids are intermittently discharged from the side of the sludge chamber with an auger. Depending on the application an optional solids recirculation system may be integrated into the design to optimize separation.