Optimization of Aeration Diffuser System Design: A Simulation Study
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 149, Issue 4
Abstract
The influence of aeration diffuser system design on electricity usage, effluent water quality, and life-cycle cost in biological wastewater treatment was investigated. A plant-wide model was implemented, and simulations were carried out with different process configurations and aeration systems. Model-aided design of new aeration diffuser systems could significantly decrease electricity usage and life-cycle cost while at the same time avoiding negative effects on the treatment performance. The optimum distribution of diffuser systems in tanks in series was found to be influenced by process configuration, volumetric loading rate, temperature, and the internal recirculation flow rate. Compared with a conventional design approach, increasing the number of diffusers, up to a critical point, led to higher energy efficiency and lower life-cycle cost. This was despite an increasing limitation of the minimum airflow rate, leading to dissolved oxygen levels significantly exceeding control targets. Aeration systems optimized by simulations were found to, independently of process configuration, exhibit 20% lower electricity usage and 16%–18% lower life-cycle costs compared with systems designed based on a more conventional approach typically applied in practice.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
The financial support from J. Gust. Richert Stiftelse (Application No. 2020-00636) is gratefully acknowledged. We are also grateful to the project group of “Effektiv Luftning på Svenska Avloppsreningsverk (ELSA)” (SVU 17-112) for many fruitful discussions, among others David Gustavsson, Dan Fujii, and Jenny Riit.
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 149 • Issue 4 • April 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 7, 2022
Accepted: Nov 7, 2022
Published online: Jan 18, 2023
Published in print: Apr 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Jun 18, 2023
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