Control optimization of a wastewater treatment plant

Abstract

Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) has the composition of newlinewastewater with large influent flow rate and pollutant load. They are highly newlinenon-linear in nature. At the same time, these plants have to be maintained newlinewith strict regulation and they have to be operated continuously. There are newlineseveral control strategies designed to control the wastewater treatment plant. newlineMost of them are simulated. Some of the reasons for the simulation are due to newlinevariability in the influent, complexity in biological phenomenon of micro newlineorganisms, lack of standard evaluation criteria and varying time constants due newlineto wide operating range. newlineA benchmark defines the plant layout in a simulation environment. newlineThere are set of criteria for evaluating the performances of the controller in newlinethe benchmark system. Initially this tool has been developed for the newlinecalculation of a control strategy performance for the wastewater treatment newlineplant with activated sludge process. It was developed by a European country newlineknown as working group of COST action 682 and 624. Later, IWA Task newlineGroup has taken over the development of the benchmark system for WWTP. newlineThe benchmark system does not include the software packages for newlinesimulations in various development platforms. It explains the plant layout; newlinemathematical model; various control handles; model of sensors and actuators; newlinesimulation environment and influent characteristics. The benchmark model newlineplant also explains the effect of temperature in the effluent quality and growth newlinerate of the micro-organisms. The benchmark system emphasizes the need of newlinecontrol system design. One of the main purposes of the control system design newlinein an activated sludge process is to achieve the minimum amount of sludge newlineproduced by the nutrient effluent, biodegradable matter with a low acceptable newlineconcentration and to achieve good quality effluent with a minimum newlineoperational cost. newline