Search results for "Science and technology"
showing 10 items of 1592 documents
Comparison of different uncertainty techniques in urban stormwater quantity and quality modelling
2011
Abstract Urban drainage models are important tools used by both practitioners and scientists in the field of stormwater management. These models are often conceptual and usually require calibration using local datasets. The quantification of the uncertainty associated with the models is a must, although it is rarely practiced. The International Working Group on Data and Models, which works under the IWA/IAHR Joint Committee on Urban Drainage, has been working on the development of a framework for defining and assessing uncertainties in the field of urban drainage modelling. A part of that work is the assessment and comparison of different techniques generally used in the uncertainty assessm…
Hybrid moving bed biofilm reactors: an effective solution for upgrading a large wastewater treatment plant
2009
Over the last few years there has been a growing attention regarding the receiving water body quality state. As a matter of a fact, the Directive 91/271 of the European Union (EU) replaced the “emission standard” concept that fixes discharge limits depending on polluting emission characteristics, with the “stream standard” concept that fixes discharge limits for each polluting substance depending on self-depurative characteristics of the RWB. In this context, several WWTPs need to be upgraded in order to meet stricter effluent limits. The need of WWTP upgrading was also emphasized by the growing urbanization that have led, in most cases, to get overloaded WWTP due to an overcoming of the ma…
Economic feasibility study for new technological alternatives in wastewater treatment processes: a review
2012
The concept of sustainability involves the integration of economic, environmental, and social aspects and this also applies in the field of wastewater treatment. Economic feasibility studies are a key tool for selecting the most appropriate option from a set of technological proposals. Moreover, these studies are needed to assess the viability of transferring new technologies from pilot-scale to full-scale. In traditional economic feasibility studies, the benefits that have no market price, such as environmental benefits, are not considered and are therefore underestimated. To overcome this limitation, we propose a new methodology to assess the economic viability of wastewater treatment tec…
Ability of Preissmann slot scheme to simulate smooth pressurisation transient in sewers
2010
Urban drainage networks are generally designed to operate in a free-surface flow condition. However, as a consequence of heavy rainfall events or network malfunctioning, filling of sewers (pressurization) and network overflowing may occur. Several softwares are commonly used to simulate floods in drainage networks and their results are usually thought to be reliable and robust. However, no specific studies have been carried out on the behaviour of these softwares during the pressurization transient. Actually, mathematical models based on the momentum equation appear to be more suitable in correctly simulating the pressurization moving jump but models based on the energy equation are much mo…
Hybrid moving bed biofilm reactors: a pilot plant experiment.
2008
The growing increment of the urbanization and on the other hand, the even more strict effluent limits imposed by the Water Framework Directive for the receiving water body quality state have lead to a need of upgrading several existing WWTP. With this respect HMBBR systems are an innovative solution since allow to upgrade existing high loaded WWTP without building new tanks. However, some uncertainties in their design, maintenance as well as performance have to be addressed due to their recent acquisition compared with well consolidated technologies such as activated sludge systems. In this light, a data gathering campaign on a HMBBR pilot plant has been performed. The aim was to detect the…
Modelling of hybrid moving bed biofilm reactors: a pilot plant experiment.
2007
In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the development of hybrid biofilm reactors, especially in the upgrading of existing WWTP that are no longer able to respect concentration limits. In fact, today's challenge is the achievement of a good aquatic state for the receiving water bodies according to the Water Framework Directive requirements, which indeed limit even more the continuous emissions, i.e. coming from WWTP. This paper presents the setting up of a mathematical model for the simulation of a hybrid MBBR system; the model calibration/validation has been carried out considering a field gathering campaign on an experimental pilot plant. The main goal is to gain insight…
Application of a fuzzy algorithm for pH control in a struvite crystallisation reactor
2006
A struvite crystallisation process is highly dependent on pH. To achieve a high phosphorus recovery as struvite it is important to have an accurate control of pH in the reactor. The high non-linear response of pH value makes manual pH control difficult. Therefore, a software based on fuzzy logic control (FLC) has been developed to maintain the pH at a set value in a stirred reactor to crystallise struvite. The FLC developed has been based on Larsen's inference. In order to confirm the improvement of the pH stability using FLC software, different experiments have been carried out with manual control of the pH value, and with the FLC software. It has been demonstrated that using FLC software …
Parameter subset selection for the dynamic calibration of activated sludge models (ASMs): experience versus systems analysis.
2007
In this work we address the issue of parameter subset selection within the scope of activated sludge model calibration. To this end, we evaluate two approaches: (i) systems analysis and (ii) experience-based approach. The evaluation has been carried out using a dynamic model (ASM2d) calibrated to describe nitrogen and phosphorus removal in the Haaren WWTP (The Netherlands). The parameter significance ranking shows that the temperature correction coefficients are among the most influential parameters on the model output. This outcome confronts the previous identifiability studies and the experience based approaches which excluded them from their analysis. Systems analysis reveals that parame…
Evaluation of the apparent losses caused by water meter under-registration in intermittent water supply
2009
Apparent losses are usually caused by water theft, billing errors, or revenue meter under-registration. While the first two causes are directly related to water utility management and may be reduced by improving company procedures, water meter inaccuracies are considered to be the most significant and hardest to quantify. Water meter errors are amplified in networks subjected to water scarcity, where users adopt private storage tanks to cope with the intermittent water supply. The aim of this paper is to analyse the role of two variables influencing the apparent losses: water meter age and the private storage tank effect on meter performance. The study was carried out in Palermo (Italy). Th…
SCREENING OF CHEMICAL SPILL RISKS TO MUNICIPAL SEWAGE TREA TMENT PLANTS
1994
Seven operational mishaps were specified on the basis of a questionnaire on wastewater treatment plants, some of them large. In this study a process was developed for screening the chemical spill risks to municipal biological sewage treatment plant. Data on wastewater treatment processes, potential spill sources and chemical properties were combined to determine the threshold chemical quantities which may inhibit the removal of carbonaceous material, prevent nitrification and methanogenesis, cause sludge contamination or lead to the aeration capacity being exceeded. Two sewage treatment plants and eleven industrial sites were chosen for field studies. The influence of spill duration and mai…