Comparison of the efficiency of large-scale ceramic and membrane aeration systems with the dynamic off-gas method

2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 317-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.A. Libra ◽  
A. Schuchardt ◽  
C. Sahlmann ◽  
J. Handschag ◽  
U. Wiesmann ◽  
...  

The aeration systems of two full-scale activated sludge basins were compared over 2.5 years under the same operating conditions using dynamic off-gas testing. Only the material of the diffuser was different, membrane vs. ceramic tube diffusers. The experimental design took the complexity and dynamics of the system into consideration. The investigation has shown that, although the membrane diffusers have higher initial standard oxygen transfer efficiency (SOTE) and standard aeration efficiency (SAE), these decreased over time, while the SAE of the ceramic diffusers started lower, but increased slightly over the whole period. Measurement of air distribution in the basins along with dissolved oxygen concentration profiles have provided important information on improving process control and reducing energy costs. The results show that dynamic off-gas testing can effectively be used for monitoring the aeration system and to check design assumptions under operating conditions. The information can be used to improve the design of new aeration systems or in retro-fitting existing basins.

1989 ◽  
Vol 21 (10-11) ◽  
pp. 1403-1419 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. K. Thomas ◽  
B. Chambers ◽  
W. Dunn

The fine-bubble diffused air (FBDA) system of aeration is most efficiently operated in low rate activated sludge systems. The aeration technique is, however, subject to poor oxygen transfer efficiency and diffuser clogging under increased loading conditions such as are experienced close to the tank inlet in plug-flow systems. Mechanical, surface aeration systems, though apparently less efficient, do not suffer from these disadvantages. The ideal aeration tank configuration, for optimum aeration efficiency is therefore:–inlet anoxic zone–completely mixed surface aerated zone–plug-flow, fine-bubble diffused air zone with tapered aeration–clarification tanks. An overall aeration efficiency of 1.5-2.0 kg/kwh is predicted for nitrifying systems, together with an increased diffuser lifetime compared to a conventional FBDA tank. The design procedure is illustrated using parameters for a large UK works. Despite greater civil costs, the reduced running costs and NPC of the hybrid system make it an attractive option when compared to a plug-flow FBDA system or a conventional surface aeration plant.


1971 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 229-248
Author(s):  
Donald S. Mavinic ◽  
Jatinder K. Bewtra

Abstract This study was undertaken to determine the efficiency of oxygenation in different air-entrained water systems. Both co-current and counter-current air-water flow conditions were used in a closed-loop diffused aeration system, consisting of 4 in. diameter plexiglass U-Tube of variable height and a 4 1/2 × 2 × 1 1/2 ft water re-circulating reservoir at the top. Four separate systems were investigated: System I was a simple water column; System II used only diffused air for water circulation and for creating an upward co-current air-water flow; System III employed pumping for water circulation, with a control on water velocity such that counter-current air-water flow was maintained; System IV used pumping to circulate water with the water velocity made large enough to create a downward co-current air-water flow. The aeration devices were located at the bottom of one side of the U-Tube in Systems I, II and III and near the top in System IV. The operating conditions were varied by changing airflow rates, water depth, water flow rates, and diffuser location. The efficiency of different systems is compared in terms of the rate of oxygen transferred/unit power input, given in lb/KWhr. It is found that, within the limitations of this study. System III is the most efficient.


1988 ◽  
Vol 20 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 77-84
Author(s):  
Read Warriner

The off-gas method was used to study oxygen transfer efficiency in a long, narrow activated sludge basin. The basin was equipped with square, ceramic, fine pore diffuser plates arranged in a uniform longitudinal pattern at a depth of 4.3 m. Oxygen transfer efficiency, at 20°C and zero dissolved oxygen concentration, during the second and third years following diffuser cleaning, was between 15 and 17%. A uniform distribution of air to the tank was compared with a tapered air supply (more air at the inlet end and less at the outlet). The tapered air supply gave lower dissolved oxygen at the outlet and did not increase overall oxygen transfer. With a 3 to 5-fold variation in air flow, at either the inlet or outlet zone of the basin, the oxygen transfer efficiency, adjusted for zero dissolved oxygen, stayed constant.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryther Anderson ◽  
Achay Biong ◽  
Diego Gómez-Gualdrón

<div>Tailoring the structure and chemistry of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) enables the manipulation of their adsorption properties to suit specific energy and environmental applications. As there are millions of possible MOFs (with tens of thousands already synthesized), molecular simulation, such as grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC), has frequently been used to rapidly evaluate the adsorption performance of a large set of MOFs. This allows subsequent experiments to focus only on a small subset of the most promising MOFs. In many instances, however, even molecular simulation becomes prohibitively time consuming, underscoring the need for alternative screening methods, such as machine learning, to precede molecular simulation efforts. In this study, as a proof of concept, we trained a neural network as the first example of a machine learning model capable of predicting full adsorption isotherms of different molecules not included in the training of the model. To achieve this, we trained our neural network only on alchemical species, represented only by their geometry and force field parameters, and used this neural network to predict the loadings of real adsorbates. We focused on predicting room temperature adsorption of small (one- and two-atom) molecules relevant to chemical separations. Namely, argon, krypton, xenon, methane, ethane, and nitrogen. However, we also observed surprisingly promising predictions for more complex molecules, whose properties are outside the range spanned by the alchemical adsorbates. Prediction accuracies suitable for large-scale screening were achieved using simple MOF (e.g. geometric properties and chemical moieties), and adsorbate (e.g. forcefield parameters and geometry) descriptors. Our results illustrate a new philosophy of training that opens the path towards development of machine learning models that can predict the adsorption loading of any new adsorbate at any new operating conditions in any new MOF.</div>


1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (12) ◽  
pp. 149-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Höfken ◽  
Katharina Zähringer ◽  
Franz Bischof

A novel agitating system has been developed which allows for individual or combined operation of stirring and aeration processes. Basic fluid mechanical considerations led to the innovative hyperboloid design of the stirrer body, which ensures high efficiencies in the stirring and the aeration mode, gentle circulation with low shear forces, excellent controllability, and a wide range of applications. This paper presents the basic considerations which led to the operating principle, the technical realization of the system and experimental results in a large-scale plant. The characteristics of the system and the differences to other stirring and aeration systems are illustrated. Details of the technical realization are shown, which conform to the specific demands of applications in the biological treatment of waste water. Special regard is given to applications in the upgrading of small compact waste water treatment plants.


1992 ◽  
Vol 114 (4) ◽  
pp. 847-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. Wagner ◽  
B. V. Johnson ◽  
R. A. Graziani ◽  
F. C. Yeh

Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of buoyancy and Coriolis forces on heat transfer in turbine blade internal coolant passages. The experiments were conducted with a large-scale, multipass, heat transfer model with both radially inward and outward flow. Trip strips on the leading and trailing surfaces of the radial coolant passages were used to produce the rough walls. An analysis of the governing flow equations showed that four parameters influence the heat transfer in rotating passages: coolant-to-wall temperature ratio, Rossby number, Reynolds number, and radius-to-passage hydraulic diameter ratio. The first three of these four parameters were varied over ranges that are typical of advanced gas turbine engine operating conditions. Results were correlated and compared to previous results from stationary and rotating similar models with trip strips. The heat transfer coefficients on surfaces, where the heat transfer increased with rotation and buoyancy, varied by as much as a factor of four. Maximum values of the heat transfer coefficients with high rotation were only slightly above the highest levels obtained with the smooth wall model. The heat transfer coefficients on surfaces where the heat transfer decreased with rotation, varied by as much as a factor of three due to rotation and buoyancy. It was concluded that both Coriolis and buoyancy effects must be considered in turbine blade cooling designs with trip strips and that the effects of rotation were markedly different depending upon the flow direction.


Meccanica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 1223-1237
Author(s):  
Giacomo Moretti ◽  
Andrea Scialò ◽  
Giovanni Malara ◽  
Giovanni Gerardo Muscolo ◽  
Felice Arena ◽  
...  

AbstractDielectric elastomer generators (DEGs) are soft electrostatic generators based on low-cost electroactive polymer materials. These devices have attracted the attention of the marine energy community as a promising solution to implement economically viable wave energy converters (WECs). This paper introduces a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation framework for a class of WECs that combines the concept of the oscillating water columns (OWCs) with the DEGs. The proposed HIL system replicates in a laboratory environment the realistic operating conditions of an OWC/DEG plant, while drastically reducing the experimental burden compared to wave tank or sea tests. The HIL simulator is driven by a closed-loop real-time hydrodynamic model that is based on a novel coupling criterion which allows rendering a realistic dynamic response for a diversity of scenarios, including large scale DEG plants, whose dimensions and topologies are largely different from those available in the HIL setup. A case study is also introduced, which simulates the application of DEGs on an OWC plant installed in a mild real sea laboratory test-site. Comparisons with available real sea-test data demonstrated the ability of the HIL setup to effectively replicate a realistic operating scenario. The insights gathered on the promising performance of the analysed OWC/DEG systems pave the way to pursue further sea trials in the future.


2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (01) ◽  
pp. 27-33
Author(s):  
Pekka Ruponen ◽  
Jerzy Matusiak ◽  
Janne Luukkonen ◽  
Mikko Ilus

The water in a swimming pool on the top deck of a large passenger ship can be excited to a resonant motion, even in a moderate sea state. The motion of the water in the pool is mainly caused by longitudinal acceleration, resulting from the ship's pitch and surge motions. At resonance, there can be high waves in the pool and splashing of water. In this study the behavior of the Solarium Pool of the Freedom of the Seas was examined in various sea states and operating conditions. The motions of the pool were calculated on the basis of a linear seakeeping method, and the behavior of the water in the pool was studied with experimental model tests. A large-scale model of the pool was constructed and fitted to a purpose-built test bench that could be axially moved by a computer-controlled hydraulic cylinder. Water elevation in the pool was measured, and all tests were video recorded. Different modifications of the pool were tested to improve the behavior of the pool. A strong correlation between the longitudinal motion and the behavior of the water in the pool was found.


Author(s):  
M. Minutillo ◽  
E. Jannelli ◽  
F. Tunzio

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell generator operating for residential applications. The fuel cell performance has been evaluated using the test bed of the University of Cassino. The experimental activity has been focused to evaluate the performance in different operating conditions: stack temperature, feeding mode, and fuel composition. In order to use PEM fuel cell technology on a large scale, for an electric power distributed generation, it could be necessary to feed fuel cells with conventional fuel, such as natural gas, to generate hydrogen in situ because currently the infrastructure for the distribution of hydrogen is almost nonexistent. Therefore, the fuel cell performance has been evaluated both using pure hydrogen and reformate gas produced by a natural gas reforming system.


1986 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 391-395
Author(s):  
W. J. Dodds ◽  
E. E. Ekstedt

A series of tests was conducted to provide data for the design of premixing-prevaporizing fuel-air mixture preparation systems for aircraft gas turbine engine combustors. Fifteen configurations of four different fuel-air mixture preparation system design concepts were evaluated to determine fuel-air mixture uniformity at the system exit over a range of conditions representative of cruise operation for a modern commercial turbofan engine. Operating conditions, including pressure, temperature, fuel-air ratio, and velocity had no clear effect on mixture uniformity in systems which used low-pressure fuel injectors. However, performance of systems using pressure atomizing fuel nozzles and large-scale mixing devices was shown to be sensitive to operating conditions. Variations in system design variables were also evaluated and correlated. Mixture uniformity improved with increased system length, pressure drop, and number of fuel injection points per unit area. A premixing system compatible with the combustor envelope of a typical combustion system and capable of providing mixture nonuniformity (standard deviation/mean) below 15% over a typical range of cruise operating conditions was demonstrated.


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