Fluid Routing Optimization for Industrial Water Conservation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current water management practices in industrial processes lack the ability to account for real-world conditions, leading to inefficient systems and inadequate suggestions for resource optimization, including water recycling and reuse.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing computers and non-transitory computer-readable media to simulate industrial processes, determine contaminated fluid routes, and generate proposals for waste fluid routing, which includes calculating contamination thresholds and optimizing fluid routing to reduce wastewater and freshwater usage by suggesting new connections and component arrangements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If water optimization calculations are performed before facility construction using conventional modeling methods, then preliminary water management planning is achieved, but the systems result in inefficiency and cannot suggest new arrangements to save resources
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors actual process conditions and contaminant concentrations in real-time, using this feedback to dynamically adjust water routing decisions. Sensors measure contaminant levels and feed this data back to the optimization engine, which then modifies routing paths to maximize water reuse opportunities while maintaining efficiency thresholds for each process unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes routing parameters and flow paths based on real-time contaminant concentration measurements. Instead of fixed pre-construction optimization, the system adjusts which processes receive water from which sources based on current contaminant levels, allowing flexible adaptation to varying production conditions and maximizing water reuse efficiency.
2Loss of time
If conventional modeling methods are used for water optimization, then calculations can be completed, but they do not take real-world conditions into account and cannot automatically generate new connection suggestions
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces conventional static modeling methods with a dynamic computer-based optimization system that uses real-time sensor data and automated algorithms. This substitution enables continuous adaptation to real-world conditions through electronic monitoring and automated routing decisions, eliminating the need for manual recalibration and providing real-time responsiveness to changing process conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The optimization system automatically monitors process conditions, calculates optimal routing paths, and adjusts water distribution without human intervention. The system self-manages the complex optimization calculations and automatically generates new connection suggestions based on real-time data, freeing operators from manual optimization tasks while adapting continuously to varying conditions.
3Ease of operation
If manual water management optimization is performed, then initial system setup is possible, but it is tedious and results in inefficient systems without automatic adjustment capability
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-optimization by automatically monitoring contaminant concentrations and adjusting water routing decisions without requiring continuous manual intervention. The optimization engine continuously calculates the best routing paths based on real-time sensor data, automatically adapting to changing conditions and maximizing water reuse efficiency without operator involvement in the decision-making process.
Solution Approach 2:
Real-time sensors monitor contaminant levels in water streams and feed this information back to the optimization system, which then automatically adjusts routing decisions. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures the system continuously operates at optimal efficiency, adapting to varying process conditions and contaminant loads without manual recalibration or intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure is directed to a system for generating suggested routing for waste fluid from a source component to a sink component that can use the waste fluid in a fluid process according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, the system is configured to determine usability of the waste fluid in various fluid processes by accessing contamination history from a fluid processes and calculating an acceptable amount of contamination to use in a different fluid process. The system is configured to provide different types of waste fluid from different processes at various flowrates to one or more sink components to ensure contamination thresholds for the sink processes are not violated according to some embodiments.