A new plant-wide modelling methodology for WWTPs.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Wastewater Treatment Technology
• Process Systems Engineering

Background:

• Conventional wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) modeling relies on a process-based approach.
• Interfacing unit-process models in existing methodologies can be complex and require specific transformers.
• Ensuring mass and charge continuity across the entire plant is a challenge in integrated modeling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel plant-wide modeling methodology for WWTPs.
• To describe the dynamic behavior of water and sludge lines.
• To offer a flexible and adaptable approach for integrated modeling.

Main Methods:

• Developed a transformation-based modeling methodology.
• Selected necessary process transformations for each WWTP unit.
• Constructed a plant-wide model for a WWTP with carbon removal and anaerobic digestion.

Main Results:

• The transformation-based approach simplifies model interfacing compared to process-based methods.
• Mass and charge continuity is facilitated throughout the plant-wide model.
• The methodology demonstrated flexibility and effectiveness in an illustrative WWTP model.

Conclusions:

• The proposed transformation-based methodology offers advantages for integrated WWTP modeling.
• Rewriting existing unit-process models to this new standard is recommended for integrated purposes.
• This approach enhances the ability to model the dynamic behavior of water and sludge lines.