Review of practical aspects for modelling of stabilization ponds using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Passos, Ricardo Gomes; Dias, D. F. C.; Sperling, Marcos von

doi:10.1080/21622515.2016.1251499

Cited by 15 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…Furthermore, traditional techniques for the vital measurement of sludge are of low spatial resolution and labor intensive. With increasing interest in the modeling of WSP hydrodynamics, the low-resolution sludge bathymetry data collected using traditional techniques has been a limiting factor for the accuracy and reliability of hydrodynamic models of WSPs (Passos, Dias, & von Sperling, 2016). Studies and reviews have suggested that higher resolution data will significantly F I G U R E 1 Geographic distribution of the 1,234 Australian wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), with 60% (737) having predominately pond based treatment (blue), and 77% (943) using pond technology as part of the treatment process (blue and green) (data source: Hill et al, 2012); Köppen-Geiger climate zones are overlaid.…”

Section: Sludge Accumulation and Pond Hydraulicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ponds and wetlands on the site are considered of international significance, with more than 280 bird species recorded on the site, and are protected under the Ramsar convention. Source: Images courtesy of Melbourne Water improve the accuracy of hydrodynamic models of WSPs (Alvarado, Sanchez, Durazno, Vesvikar, & Nopens, 2012;Daigger, 2011;Passos et al, 2016).…”

Section: Sludge Accumulation and Pond Hydraulicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the low-resolution of the data collected in time-costly traditional sludge surveys, the information is vital for planning pond maintenance, which can be expensive and complex. In addition, with the increasing interest in computer modeling of WSPs, it has become apparent that validation of pond hydrodynamics in models is difficult with traditional lowresolution bathymetry data (e.g., Alvarado et al, 2013;Olukanni & Ducoste, 2011;Passos et al, 2016). F I G U R E 3 An example of a non-uniform sludge distribution (displayed as sludge height in meters) in a Western Australian waste stabilization pond (WSP), where a preferential flow path has resulted in a channel and basin formation and undesirable hydraulic performance (i.e., short-circuiting of flow and reduced mean hydraulic residence time) F I G U R E 4 Traditional sludge profiling with sludge judge (a), a remote-controlled boat fitted with GPS-equipped sonar for sludge bathymetry mapping (b), an example two-dimensional contour of a profiled pond (c), and the GPS survey track over a pond (d) In order to overcome the shortcomings presented by low-resolution data, along with increasing occupational health and safety requirements, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was designed and fitted with a sonar device with built-in GPS and data logging ability ( Figure 4b).…”

Section: Improvements In Sludge Measurement and Pond Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The small, the big, and the beautiful: Emerging challenges and opportunities for waste stabilization ponds in Australia

2019

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Waste stabilization ponds (WSPs) are used extensively for the treatment of wastewater in Australia, mostly in regional and remote areas. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) using pond technologies are also distributed over the full geographical extent of Australia, encompassing many climatic zones. Predominantly used to service small to medium‐sized communities, WSPs are also used to service large metropolitan Australian populations, up to 2.5 million people. When well‐maintained, WSPs are a sustainable and resilient treatment option, and treatment is achieved at significantly lower cost when compared with conventional WWTPs. Increasing population, changing regulations, and climate variability are placing increasing pressure on Australian WSP systems. Sludge accumulation over time presents a significant challenge to pond maintenance, along with increasing occurrence of toxic cyanobacterial bloom events. These challenges are only enhanced by the wide geographical distribution and by increasing operational and maintenance costs. Increased demand for recycled water is placing further pressure on Australian WSP systems, as higher value treated water is expected from WSP infrastructure that is often overloaded or under‐designed. This increased demand for high‐quality treatment presents an opportunity for operators and researchers to develop a better understanding of the coupling between hydraulics and microbial ecology of these systems. With more stringent guidelines for greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), a better understanding of biophysicochemical processes in WSPs will lead to better estimates of GHG fluxes and variability. This information will become critical for the future planning, maintenance and operation of WSPs, and will result in a better understanding of WSP systems overall. This article is categorized under: Engineering Water > Water, Health, and Sanitation Engineering Water > Sustainable Engineering of Water

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Section: Sludge Accumulation and Pond Hydraulicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sludge Accumulation and Pond Hydraulicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Improvements In Sludge Measurement and Pond Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The small, the big, and the beautiful: Emerging challenges and opportunities for waste stabilization ponds in Australia

2019

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“…ROVs may also be applied to small to medium sized water bodies, such as lakes and stormwater retention wetlands, drinking water reservoirs, rivers, pools, channels, and recreational and commercial ports. The improvement in spatial resolution of pond bathymetry data alone will greatly improve models used to understand pond hydraulics and how sludge accumulation and geometry affect performance (Passos et al, 2016;Coggins et al, 2017Coggins et al, , 2018; these could in turn be used to develop new WSP coupled models of hydraulics and biology. Thus, the main objective of this study was to assess the performance of a ROV with GPS-equipped sonar to measure sludge height in a WSP, with the aim to develop it to a point where it could be implemented for research and within industry.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-Resolution Bathymetry Mapping of Water Bodies: Development and Implementation

Coggins

Ghadouani

2019

Front. Earth Sci.

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Traditionally, bathymetry mapping of ponds, lakes, and rivers have used techniques which are low in spatial resolution. Waste stabilization ponds (WSPs) are utilized worldwide for wastewater treatment, and throughout their operation require periodic sludge surveys. Sludge accumulation in WSPs can impact performance by reducing the effective volume of the pond, and altering the pond hydraulics and wastewater treatment efficiency. Traditionally, sludge heights, and thus sludge volume, have been measured using techniques such as the "sludge judge" and the "white towel" test. Both of these methods have low spatial resolution, are subjective in terms of precision and accuracy, are labor intensive, and require a high level of safety precautions. A sonar device fitted to a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) can improve the resolution and accuracy of sludge height measurements, as well as reduce labor and safety requirements. This technology is readily available; however, despite its applicability, it has not been previously assessed for use on WSPs. This study aimed to design, build, and assess the performance of an ROV to measure sludge height in WSPs. Profiling of several WSPs has shown that the ROV with autonomous sonar device is capable of providing bathymetry with greatly increased spatial resolution in a greatly reduced profiling time. To date, the ROV has been applied on in excess of 400 WSPs across Australia, several large lakes, stormwater retention ponds, river beds, and drinking water reservoirs. ROVs, such as the one built in this study, will be useful for not only determining sludge profiles, but also in calculating sludge accumulation rates and in evaluating pond hydraulic efficiency. As demonstrated, this technology is not limited to application in wastewater management, with the potential for wider application in the monitoring of other small to medium-sized water bodies, including reservoirs, lakes, channels, recreational water bodies, river beds, mine tailing dams and commercial ports.

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“…The inclusion of wind in hydrodynamics modelling of WSPs is not a recent development, with several previous studies incorporating wind into WSP models e.g., [36][37][38][39], however there is still a need to better understand the effect that environmental conditions have on the function of WSPs, including wind [40].…”

Section: The Impact Of Wind On Pondsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Hydrodynamic Reconfiguration with Baffles on Treatment Performance in Waste Stabilisation Ponds: A Full-Scale Experiment

Coggins

Sounness

Zheng

et al. 2018

Water

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Abstract:Wastewater infrastructure is expensive to build and maintain, and there is a need to focus on improving and modernising existing infrastructure before large capital investments are made to service future population needs. Waste stabilisation ponds (WSPs) are used worldwide for the treatment of wastewater, but their performance is significantly affected by poor hydraulic control. Hydraulic reconfiguration of ponds is a possible solution to this problem, whereby the flow is controlled and short-circuiting is reduced. There is evidence to suggest that this approach has the potential to increase treatment performance, however in the absence of full-scale validation it is difficult to generalise this to a wide range of sites. For example, there is no consensus on the best baffle configuration to optimise hydraulic performance. The main objective of this study was to conduct a full-scale experiment of baffles in a WSP, and to investigate their impact on hydraulic performance. To achieve this objective, the approach combined high-resolution pond bathymetry and 2D hydrodynamic modelling, assessed with hydraulic indices, to determine the optimal baffle configuration for the site; it was shown that three baffles perpendicular to the inflow provided the greatest increase (up to 24%) in mean residence time. This configuration was then implemented in a working WSP. The effects of the baffles on the pond were then assessed using a combination of field tracer testing, revealing an increase in mean residence time of at least 20%, and further hydrodynamic modelling. Through the addition of wind data into the hydrodynamic model, it is shown that baffles not only improve the flow, but also attenuate the effect of wind on pond hydraulics. While the conclusions of this study are site-specific, the implementation of site-specific solutions is important for progress towards optimal pond design. The approach developed here is easily transferrable for use on other sites, and will enhance our ability to plan, design and operate WSP systems in the future.

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Review of practical aspects for modelling of stabilization ponds using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Cited by 15 publications

References 50 publications

The small, the big, and the beautiful: Emerging challenges and opportunities for waste stabilization ponds in Australia

The small, the big, and the beautiful: Emerging challenges and opportunities for waste stabilization ponds in Australia

High-Resolution Bathymetry Mapping of Water Bodies: Development and Implementation

Impact of Hydrodynamic Reconfiguration with Baffles on Treatment Performance in Waste Stabilisation Ponds: A Full-Scale Experiment

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