A&J Fabtech offers a few thoughts on picket fence thickeners, which it provides for water treatment and industrial users.
Picket fence thickeners enable the thickening and settlement of particles suspended in water into a sludge, which can then be removed for disposal or treatment.
Their rotating blade consists of a series of vertical rods with horizontal supports, so look similar to a garden fence. This is turned by a motor about a vertical axis positioned centrally in the process tank as waste water slowly enters the tank.
The movement of the rods create voids in the water, encouraging particles to sink under gravity to the bottom of the tank. As the particles build up, they compress under their own weight to form sludge which can be collected via an outlet at the bottom of the tank. Meanwhile the liquid fraction decants over a weir at the top of the tank and flows away, possibly for further processing.
A&J Fabtech builds picket fence thickeners in a range of materials including painted mild steel, galvanised steel and stainless steel and in sizes from 1.6 metre diameter to 16 metres or more.
They are designed to meet all relevant regulations and standards and to optimise sludge concentration and dewatering so that subsequent processing is efficient and cost effective.
Optional features that can be provided include inlet diffusers, scum control and sludge blanket monitoring. For more process-critical applications, real-time sludge loading monitoring and feedback systems can also be fitted.
A&J Fabtech can speed up the installation of a picket fence thickener on site by pre-assembly and pre-wiring. It undertakes mechanical loading and electrical tests in-house and on site and also offers a full maintenance and refurbishment service for equipment whether made by itself or others.
