Emission of Hydrogen Sulfide from Falling Droplets in Sewage Drop Structures
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 12
Abstract
Hydrogen sulfide () is the primary cause of odor and corrosion in sewer systems. When wastewater breaks up into small droplets in drop structures, the emission of is expected to be significantly enhanced relative to that of the continuously falling sewage. However, limited studies have been conducted on the mass transfer coefficient, , of dissolved gas in falling water droplet emissions into air. In this study, laboratory experiments of falling liquid droplets in air were conducted with two gases: and carbon dioxide (). In the droplet diameter () and free-falling height () testing ranges, the value at 20°C was found to be , which increased with the falling height (or velocity) and decreased with the droplet size. Existing prediction equations show a great range (up to 10 times) for and cannot accurately predict the experimental results. Therefore, a modified equation was proposed to better predict . In addition, was found to be a suitable surrogate for in mass transfer due to the toxicity of . Finally, the research results were applied in large and small sewage drop structures. More than 70% of emission to equilibrium could be achieved after falling in large drop structures depending on droplet sizes. In small drop structures, the results of free-falling water droplets were found to approximately model the complex emission process. This study provides new insights into the physical process and modeling of release in sewage drop structures, which are useful for odor and corrosion control in municipal drainage systems.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all of the data, models, or code generated or used during this study are available from the corresponding author by request (experimental measurements).
Acknowledgments
The authors express appreciation for the financial support of EPCOR Utilities, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada, and the China Scholarship Council. The authors also thank Perry Fedun for his technical assistance.
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© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: May 5, 2020
Accepted: Jul 20, 2020
Published online: Sep 30, 2020
Published in print: Dec 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Feb 28, 2021
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