The document discusses the clean rinse process for carbon media changeouts using a tri-compartment trailer and pressurized tanks to ensure thorough cleansing of spent carbon. It debunks the myth that cone-bottom designs are superior, arguing that header/lateral underdrain designs are more cost-effective and promote better mass transfer zone efficiency. The process takes about four hours and leads to a clean vessel ready for fresh media without contamination risks.

2. Clean Rinse
Process
• A tri-compartment trailer
connects its hose to the
vessel’s carbon fill line
• The tank is pressurized to 15
psi by the truck’s blower
• A hose from the vessel
discharge valve is
connected to the truck
• The discharge valve is
opened, causing the spent
media slurries out as a
single plug into the truck
• The process is repeated five
times ensuring a clean tank
Those pushing their company’s
design specifications onto the
municipal adsorption vessel
marketplace are promoting the superiority
myth of the of “Cone-Bottom” underdrain.
They claim that any liquid phase vessel
underdrain design besides theirs can
hamper the removal of spent media during
the carbon changeout process, leaving
some spent carbon in the bottom of unit.
The truth is, when utilizing the proper
techniques, a vessel with a header/lateral
underdrain can be easily emptied of spent
carbon, ensuring a fresh media fill and
a more efficient distribution of the mass
transfer zone throughout the carbon bed.
Also, a vessel built with a header/lateral
design is more cost effective than one with
a cone bottom.
Not only is it easy to debunk the myth that
the Cone-Bottom design is best, a case
can be made that it actually degrades the
efficiency of the bed’s mass transfer zone.
An experienced TIGG Site Services crew
member prepares to “pop” the vessel’s
discharge valve open, cleansing a slug of
spent media from the tank.

3. TIGG
Funneling the carbon into a conical-shaped pocket at the bottom of the vessel
disrupts the even progress of the mass transfer zone as it descends through the
bed. It constricts the zone into a small area, thereby promoting early contaminant
breakthrough.
The conical vessel internal design specs place an inverted cone waffled with aeration
holes at the bottom of the vessel. This funnels the media bed into an underdrain that
allows the spent carbon to flush from the vessel without leaving clumps of spent
media in the corners at the bottom of the tank. However, plastic nozzles fitted to each
aeration hole often break off and come loose. This causes carbon packed into the
cone to spill into a catch basket that resembles an inverted witch’s hat. These nozzle
fittings can only be repaired during changeout procedures when the entire vessel is
emptied of media.
The promoters of this design claim any vessel without the conical underdrain leaves
spent carbon in the bottom of the tank, causing the contamination of fresh media
and turning it into a “septic-bed.” However, according to Anthony Mazzoni, TIGG
Corporation vice president and industry expert, simple pressurization of the vessel
during a media changeout can deliver a clean rinse of the spent carbon, leaving the
tank septic-free and ready for fresh media.
“The key to the TIGG Technique is a tri-compartment bulk trailer with a blower unit,”
Mazzoni said. “The experienced site services crew attaches one hose to the carbon
fill line of a liquid-filled vessel and another to the discharge valve. Then, using the
blower on the truck, the vessel is pressurized to 15 psi.”
Once the discharge valve is popped opened on the pressurized tank, the spent bed
slurries out in a single slug into an empty compartment on the bulk trailer. To ensure
complete vetting, the TIGG Technique is performed a total of five times.

4. Once spent carbon is cleansed
from the vessel, fresh media is
loaded into the clean interior of
the header/lateral designed unit without
the fear of rouge traces of spent carbon to
corrupt the bed. The entire process takes
as little as four hours to empty and then
refresh the media in a dual-vessel 40,000
pound adsorption system.
“There are additional advantages to
the header/lateral underdrain design,”
Mazzoni said. “Because of the void
between the cone and the bottom of the
tank head, the interior of the Cone-Bottom
vessels is difficult to sandblast and coat.”
He explained that the Cone-Bottom
design restricts accessibility when lining
the interior of the bottom head of the
tank, only allowing for what’s called a
“maintenance coat.” This inferior lining
can promote pinholes and eventually
lead to rust and corrosion. However, the
header/lateral underdrain design does
not restrict the interior coating process,
allowing for a full coating of a high-solids
epoxy which is then spark-tested and
proven pinhole free.
“Not only is the header/lateral underdrain
design more cost effective than the Cone-
Bottom, thanks to the TIGG Technique of
spent media changeouts these vessels
are easily refreshed with clean carbon beds,” Mazzoni said.
“Plus, the design boasts a better carbon bed distribution,
which means an even mass transfer zone.”
When you put all this together with the superior interior
coating and competitive pricing it is easy to pop the
phony myth of the Cone-Bottom and appreciate
the quality and competence of a tank with a
header/lateral underdrain.
Contact a TIGG Rep Today
800-925-0011 • sales@TIGG.com
The Internal header/lateral underdrain design
(above) allows for thorough cleansing of spent
media. After performing the TIGG Technique
five times the vessel is ready for fresh activated
carbon media.
800-925-0011
www.TIGGtanks.com
www.TIGG.com
TIGG, LLC
1 Willow Avenue
Oakdale, PA 15071