Development and Application of Real Time Control System to Improve Nutrient Removal and Water Reuse in North Americanand Asian Geographies

Abstract

A real time whole plant simulator for process control and optimization (Aquifas+ , Aquifas Plus) was developed using an enhanced version of IWA ASM2d model for mixed liquor and biofilm, together with advanced mathematical algorithms for achieving higher speed and accuracy required for real time operations control and optimization as compared to plant design, algorithms for scenario generation and optimization, and tools for calibration to full scale plants.The simulator works at the desktop and enterprise levels. At the enterprise level, it captures and provides data from multiple plants and feeds information to multiple screens at different locations. This helps utilities that manage multiple plants, pump stations and water and wastewater systems, manage them from one location. The simulator connects and manages data from SCADA, laboratory, and plant inspection and asset management systems. It compresses and stores the data in a database together with data from simulations. It provides feedback to the operators to help them optimize simultaneously for a combination of compliance, chemical use, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. It does the optimization by generating operating scenarios by varying operating parameters at intervals that are customized to the flow, HRT and needs of each plant. The process model and the simulator are being evaluated as a plant optimizer and controller at plants in temperate and tropical climates in North America, Middle East and Asia.