Shallow-depth settling principle, plate pack construction, installation angle, design inputs and site notes for lamella clarifiers and separators.
← Back to Inclined Plate MediaInclined plate media is a settling medium, not a biofilm carrier. A pack of closely spaced plates is set at an incline in the settling zone of a clarifier, thickener or separator. Because settling is a function of surface area rather than depth, subdividing the basin into many shallow inclined passages multiplies the settling area available to the flow — the shallow-depth (or shallow-pool) principle.
Each plate acts as an individual settling surface. A particle has to fall only the short vertical distance between two plates, and once it reaches a plate it slides down the incline into the sludge collection zone instead of being carried out with the effluent. The plates also reduce the settling distance for every particle in the flow, so a basin fitted with plate packs can clarify more flow in the same footprint, or reach a lower effluent solids level at the same flow.
The plate passages are narrow and evenly spaced. Their large wetted perimeter and small hydraulic radius keep the flow laminar and the Reynolds number low, so particles settle without the turbulence that disturbs an open basin. Smooth plate surfaces help the sludge slide down and reduce the chance of deposits building up between the plates.
Plate packs are supplied in the form that fits the basin and the installation route. Two standard forms are shown in the gallery on the product page:
Corrugated sheets are joined edge to edge and face to face so that the corrugations form closed cells and self-supporting panels. The formed pack is rigid enough to be stacked and installed directly in the basin, and the corrugation adds stiffness so the plates hold their spacing under load.
Plates are welded or bonded into a perimeter frame that carries the pack and sets the plate spacing and incline. Frames are built to suit the basin structure and can be supplied as modules small enough to pass through the access opening, or as a single assembly where access allows.
Modules are cut to the basin dimensions or to the customer drawing, then mounted on support beams in the settling zone. Building the media from modules also keeps the plate spacing uniform, which is what the settling performance depends on.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Product form | Corrugated plate pack · framed plate pack · cut-to-size modules |
| Plate construction | Corrugated or flat sheets joined into closed cells, assembled into a plate pack |
| Plate material | On request — confirmed against the duty and water chemistry |
| Plate size & thickness | On request — cut to basin dimensions |
| Plate spacing (pitch) | On request |
| Installation angle | 45 – 60° (typical range; fixed by the basin design) |
| Support frame | On request — fabricated to suit the basin structure |
| Module size | Built to basin dimensions or customer drawing |
| Packing & delivery | On request — export pallets and crates, modules strapped and edge-protected |
| MOQ / price | On request — confirm specification & destination |
Parameters are quoted On request until they are confirmed against a specific basin and duty. Certified plate material data, dimensions and test documents are issued with the quotation on request — no unverified performance figures are published.
To size a plate pack and quote it accurately, we need the following from the project:
The plate spacing and installation angle follow from these inputs: tighter spacing gives more settling area per unit volume, while a steeper angle helps sludge that slides slowly. Both are fixed against the sludge character and the basin geometry, and are confirmed in writing before fabrication.
General practice for plate packs, based on our own production and site records:
Site practice and cleaning intervals depend on the installation and the sludge; the schedule above is a starting point to be adjusted on site.
Inclined plate media is used wherever suspended solids have to be removed in a small footprint or an existing basin has to be made to work harder:
Plate geometry, spacing and material are selected together with the basin design: the same settling principle is delivered as corrugated plate packs, framed plate packs or cut-to-size modules, and the correct choice depends on the sludge, the basin and the access route. Assembly is carried out in our workshop with jigs that set the plate pitch, and each module is checked before packing, so the pack arrives ready to be set on its support beams.
Compiled from general lamella settling practice and our own production and site records. Product-specific parameters, material certificates and test documents are confirmed against the actual basin and issued with the quotation on request.
Sheet-type inclined tube packing is a block assembled from a number of plastic sheets into a tile pattern. The material is a polyethylene / polypropylene co-polymer, commonly called an E-P co-polymer honeycomb inclined plate. Its main advantages: high toughness, strong assembled strength, no deformation, no brittle cracking, long service life and a long anti-ageing period; where polypropylene gives 3 – 4 years, the E-P co-polymer extends service life in water to 8 – 10 years. Market practice has moved towards the E-P co-polymer type.
Main applications: all kinds of sedimentation and desanding duties — it is one of the most widely adopted and mature devices in water supply and drainage engineering, with a wide application range, high treatment efficiency and a small footprint. It suits inlet desanding, general industrial and domestic water-supply settling, oil separation and tailings thickening, and works for both new projects and the retrofit of existing basins.
Parameter values above follow the reference table for sheet-type inclined tube packing (cell size Φ35 / Φ50 / Φ80 mm; module 1000 × 500 × 1000 mm; plate thickness 0.4 / 0.5 / 0.8 mm). Confirm the final selection against the basin design.