Redundancy and Reliability – The 5&lt;SUP&gt;th&lt;/SUP&gt; Generation of Membrane Bioreactor Design

Boe, Randall; Quan, Cai; Whitaker, Brian; Klein, Angela M.; Goodwin, S.; Crawford, George

doi:10.2175/193864706783750295

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Five generations of MBR design philosophies have evolved during this time, with each evolution helping to decrease the capital and operating costs of the technology (Crawford et al, 2000;Crawford et al, 2001;Boe et al, 2006). First generation MBRs replaced conventional activated sludge (CAS) systems in small, package plant applications.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolution of MBR Design to Minimize Capital Cost and Optimize Energy Efficiency

Menniti¹,

Erdal²,

Crawford³

et al. 2011

proc water environ fed

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Since the development of immersed membrane bioreactors (MBRs) in the mid 1990s, MBR acceptance and application has steadily increased. The technology has now reached a level of maturity such that there is industry consensus on MBR design. The evolution of MBR design to reduce capital costs and optimize energy efficiency -two of the major hurdles to widespread application -is examined by comparing seven MBR designs performed over the past decade. Two primary drivers for reduced MBR costs are (1) design improvements that are now the industry standard and (2) innovative whole-plant process designs that maximize the benefits of MBR systems while minimizing their limitations. This paper discusses the benefits of innovative MBR applications for addressing peak flow treatment, waste active sludge reduction, control system automation and nutrient removal. The evolution of MBR design approaches toward the industry standard is also discussed. KEYWORDSMembrane bioreactor, procurement, design, capital cost INTRODUCTIONSince the development of immersed membrane bioreactors (MBRs) in the mid 1990s, MBR technology has steadily increased in acceptance and application. Five generations of MBR design philosophies have evolved during this time, with each evolution helping to decrease the capital and operating costs of the technology (Crawford et al, 2000;Crawford et al, 2001;Boe et al, 2006). First generation MBRs replaced conventional activated sludge (CAS) systems in small, package plant applications. Second and third generation MBRs incorporated nutrient removal and decreased the design solids concentrations and solids retention times (SRTs) to improve flux and oxygen transfer efficiency. These advances in MBR technology widened the scope of MBR application toward limit of technology nutrient removal and larger installations were possible as the technology became cost competitive. Increased understanding of MBR design created a fourth generation of larger, more complex MBRs with owners and consultants taking greater responsibility for the overall treatment process design. Fifth generation MBRs incorporate full reliability and redundancy features for large-scale, end-of-pipe systems in addition to applying advanced, fully redundant control systems for optimized MBR operation and control. MBR can now be cost competitive with CAS when a high degree of nutrient removal or exceptional effluent quality is required .

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%