Wastewater Flow Control via Sewer Storage Buffering
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional wastewater treatment systems face high operational costs and inefficiencies due to varying wastewater volumes, with existing control methods failing to dynamically adapt to actual plant capacity and storage volumes, leading to suboptimal throughput and effluent quality.
Innovation Solution
A method that dynamically adjusts the wastewater supply to the treatment plant based on real-time treatment parameters, spare plant capacity, and wastewater storage volume, using a control structure that integrates measurements, historical data, and mathematical modeling to optimize flow and energy usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the treatment plant is dimensioned to handle peak wastewater volumes, then the system can cope with varying wastewater amounts, but the plant operates at low capacity for the majority of time leading to high operational costs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention stores wastewater in the sewer system before peak flow periods, performing the action of retention in advance. This allows the treatment plant to receive more uniform flows and operate at optimal capacity, while the stored wastewater is released when the plant has available capacity, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The sewer system is transformed into an intermediary storage component between the variable wastewater source and the treatment plant. This intermediary buffer allows decoupling of peak inflow from treatment capacity, enabling the plant to maintain high utilization while still handling varying wastewater amounts reliably
2Productivity
If wastewater is treated immediately upon reaching the treatment plant, then treatment efficiency is maintained, but the system cannot dynamically adapt to spare plant capacity leading to suboptimal throughput
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements dynamic control of wastewater flow by adjusting the amount stored in the sewer system based on real-time plant capacity conditions. When spare capacity exists, more wastewater is released for treatment; when capacity is full, storage is increased. This dynamic adjustment optimizes throughput while adapting to changing plant conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from plant capacity measurements to control the storage and release of wastewater. The control structure continuously monitors spare plant capacity and adjusts the flow rate accordingly, creating a closed-loop system that maximizes treatment throughput while adapting to actual plant conditions
3Ease of operation
If traditional control methods are used without integration of treatment parameters and storage volumes, then system operation is simple, but effluent quality and costs are not optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The control structure performs multiple functions: it monitors treatment parameters, measures storage volumes, determines plant capacity, and adjusts wastewater flow all through a single integrated system. This multi-functional approach optimizes effluent quality and costs without requiring multiple separate control systems, maintaining operational simplicity while achieving optimization
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The present invention provides a method of treating wastewater in a wastewater system. The wastewater system comprises a treatment plant comprising a treatment space and a sewer system comprising a sewer space. The treatment plant further comprises a treatment inlet for supplying wastewater to the treatment system from the sewer system. The method comprises the step of: providing a treatment parameter being significant for purification of wastewater in the treatment plant, determining an actual spare plant capacity indicating an amount of wastewater which can be supplied to the treatment space, and determining an actual spare wastewater storage volume indicating an amount of wastewater which can be retained in the sewer space. The amount of wastewater supplied through the treatment inlet to the treatment plant is varied based on the treatment parameter, the actual spare plant capacity, and the actual spare wastewater storage volume.