Integrated Water Storage and Treatment for Flood and Drought Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water supply management systems face challenges in managing water resources effectively due to climate change-induced floods and droughts, as they struggle to ensure reliable drinking water supply and prevent downtown flooding.
Innovation Solution
A water supply management system that integrates an underground water tank, a desalination facility, and a rainwater pipe with an existing water purification facility, controlled by a system that adjusts inflow and outflow rates based on water level conditions to manage rainwater, seawater, and freshwater, and includes a foreign material removal device and advanced water treatment processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing water supply management systems are used, then the system structure is simple, but the system cannot ensure reliable drinking water supply during droughts and cannot prevent downtown flooding during floods
Solution Approach 1:
The water supply management system is divided into multiple functional modules: above-ground water storage tank, below-ground water storage tank, rainwater collection facility, desalination facility, and water purification facility. Each module handles specific water sources or functions, allowing the complex system to be managed through modular components that can be independently controlled and maintained.
Solution Approach 2:
The system integrates multiple water sources (rainwater, seawater, freshwater) and multiple treatment facilities (desalination, purification, storage) into a single unified management system. The controller coordinates all facilities to provide drinking water supply, flood prevention, and drought relief functions through a centralized control mechanism.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If rainwater collection facilities are expanded to capture more rainwater, then flood prevention capability is improved, but the system complexity and infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rainwater collection facility is integrated with the existing water supply infrastructure. Rainwater is collected and stored in the below-ground water storage tank, which is nested within the existing water supply system architecture. This allows flood prevention functionality to be added without creating a completely separate infrastructure system.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary that coordinates rainwater collection, storage, and discharge operations. It monitors water levels in the below-ground storage tank and automatically controls the rainwater collection facility and desalination facility to balance flood prevention with drinking water supply requirements.
3Reliability
If desalination facilities are added to utilize seawater during droughts, then water supply reliability is improved, but the system complexity and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The desalination facility operates dynamically based on real-time water level conditions in the above-ground storage tank. The controller activates the desalination facility when freshwater levels are low and seawater is available, and deactivates it when freshwater levels are sufficient. This dynamic operation optimizes resource utilization and reduces unnecessary operational costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (which water sources are treated and stored) based on environmental conditions such as drought severity and seawater availability. During droughts, the system increases desalination operations and stores treated water in the above-ground tank. During normal conditions, it relies more on freshwater sources, reducing desalination activity and associated costs.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system ensures stable potable water supply during droughts and rapidly manages flood situations by effectively utilizing and treating various water sources, reducing damage from climate-related water fluctuations.
Implementation Method 1
a water treatment device 300 that purifies the second stored water released from the second water storage tank 200 and releases potable water
Implementation Method 2
The controller 600 controls inflow rates and outflow rates of the rainwater 30, the seawater 10, the freshwater 20, the first stored water, the second stored water, and the potable water
Data Source
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AI summary
Water supply management system (1000) and method and a computer-readable recording medium including instructions for performing the method. The water supply management system (1000) includes a first water storage tank (100), a second water storage tank (200), a water treatment device (300), and a controller (600) that controls opening or closing of inflow pipes and drain pipes connected to the first water storage tank (100), the second water storage tank (200), and the water treatment device (300). The first water storage tank (100) stores first stored water, and at least one of rainwater (30) and seawater (10) overflowing in case of flood is introduced into the first water storage tank (100) to form the first stored water. The second water storage tank (200) stores second stored water, and at least one of freshwater (20) in a water supply source and the first stored water in the first water storage tank (100) is introduced into the second water storage tank (200) to form the second stored water. The water treatment device (300) purifies the second stored water released from the second water storage tank (200) and releases potable water. The controller (600) controls inflow rates and outflow rates of the rainwater (30), the seawater (10), the freshwater (20), the first stored water, the second stored water, and the potable water.