A pilot only pays for itself if its numbers transfer cleanly to the full plant. The good news: the parameters that govern DAF — surface and hydraulic loading, recycle ratio, coagulant dose, flocculation energy — are area-based or dimensionless, so they scale directly. This page sets out exactly how we turn a containerised pilot campaign into a defensible full-scale design basis, and where the genuine scale-up risks lie.
A full-scale DAF cell is not a bigger version of the pilot cell — it is the same loading rate applied over a larger area. Because flotation performance is governed by the rise velocity of bubble–floc aggregates and the surface loading rate (m/hr), a pilot operated across the real range of loadings tells you directly what area the full plant needs. The coagulant dose (mg/L), recycle ratio (%) and saturator pressure (bar) are intensive properties — they don't change with scale at all. That is why a well-run pilot de-risks an entire plant. See the full-scale logic in our DAF design & sizing guide and check numbers with the DAF sizing calculator.
| Measured in the pilot | How it scales | Sets in the full plant |
|---|---|---|
| Surface loading (m/hr) | Held constant; area = flow ÷ loading | DAF cell plan area |
| Hydraulic loading (m/hr) | Held constant | Contact zone & cross-flow sizing |
| Recycle ratio (%) | Dimensionless — transfers directly | Saturator & recycle pump duty |
| Saturator pressure (bar) | Intensive — identical | Air-dissolution system design |
| Coagulant dose (mg/L) | Concentration — identical | Chemical storage & dosing capacity |
| Flocculation G & time | Held constant (G·t) | Floc tank volume & mixer power |
| UF flux (LMH) & TMP | Held constant; modules = flow ÷ flux | UF rack size & backwash design |
| Specific energy (kWh/m³) | Transfers with efficiency correction | Power & OPEX model |
Loading-rate fundamentals → · Hydraulic loading · Recycle flow
The parameters transfer — but these effects still need judgement
Large cells can short-circuit where a small one won't. We carry pilot loading into a CFD-checked full-scale geometry — see CFD DAF optimisation.
Saturator efficiency and nozzle design must reproduce the pilot's bubble size at scale — the basis of micro-bubble technology.
A short pilot can miss the worst bloom. We size to the captured peak plus a defensible margin, or recommend a longer campaign.
Full plants run across a flow range the pilot may not. Control philosophy is validated against the pilot's automated operation data.
Loading rates, dose, recycle and flux fixed from the campaign, with the data behind each value.
DAF area, floc volume, saturator duty, UF/RO module counts for the design flow.
Chemical consumption and specific energy projected to full scale for the business case.
Explicit assumptions, captured envelope and recommended design margins — nothing hidden.
Process validation · Treatability studies · General scale-up approach
We run the pilot and write the scale-up basis — one team from intake water to full-scale design. Tell us where you are in the project.
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