Sludge Coulter Counter

Figure 1. Examples of particulate size frequency distributions in natural waters and wastewaters. (A) Effluent, sedimentation basin, pilot-activated sludge plant, light microscope (26) (%) Lake Zurich, 40 m, 612176, Zeiss Videomat (19 (D) Deer Creek Reservoir, Utah, 20 m, 3/76, HI AC-12 Channel Counter (16) (O) digested primary and secondary sludge. Coulter Counter (S).

Particle suspensions must be fairly dilute to avoid problems of coincident passage of several particles through the aperture. The volume sampled is set by electronic probes in the mercury column, which start and stop switches as the mercury passes. The instrument used for this work had settings for sample volumes of 50 /xL, 500 /xL, and 2,000 /xL, and was operated with four apertures, 30 /xm, 70 /xm, 140 /xm, and 280 /xm. The Coulter Counter was calibrated with polystyrene latex (PSL) spheres. A computer program was used to convert channel counts and calibration information to particle diameters, surface areas, and volumes after editing spurious data from the paper tapes. Particles were assumed to be solid spheres, since output from the Coulter Counter for sludge is that for spheres of volume equivalent to the randomly shaped particles in the suspension. 

Table III. Particle Size Distribution by Coulter Counter—Hyperion Mesophilic Sludge...

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