What must be done to find detention time in hours when flow is given in million gallons per day (MGD)?

To find detention time in hours when flow is given in million gallons per day (MGD), you need to first understand the relationship between the units of flow and time.

When a flow is expressed in MGD, it indicates how many million gallons of water are processed in a day. To convert this daily flow rate into a detention time in hours, it is necessary to account for the fact that there are 24 hours in a day.

By determining the flow in millions of gallons for a single day and then converting that into hours, you can effectively gauge how long water stays in a treatment basin or tank. The calculation involves multiplying the daily flow data by the conversion factor to express the total gallons per day into a more usable hourly format. Essentially, you can think of it as spreading the daily flow over 24 hours to understand how much flows through that system at any given hour.

This enables operators and engineers to better manage the water treatment process by using correct detention time calculations, an essential aspect of ensuring effective treatment.