Preventing Sediment Deposition in Inverted Sewer Siphons

Abstract

Laboratory experiments were carried out to determine minimum self-cleansing velocities for preventing deposition of sediment in upward sloping and vertical pipes of inverted siphons. Tests were made using sediment sizes of 0.78 and 4.3 mm in a pipe of 150 mm diameter for eight angles of inclination between 0 and 90°. The criterion for self-cleansing conditions was defined as the minimum velocity needed to prevent the formation of deposits on the invert of the pipe. For a given sediment concentration the self-cleansing velocity was found to be a maximum at pipe slopes between about 22.5 and 45°. Analysis of the forces acting on sediment particles in inclined pipes led to the development of a formula for predicting self-cleansing velocities taking account of pipe size, sediment size, sediment concentration, and pipe slope.