Energies, Vol. 18, Pages 6011: Modeling Wastewater Treatment Plants to Study Energy Optimal Control

Energies, Vol. 18, Pages 6011: Modeling Wastewater Treatment Plants to Study Energy Optimal Control

Energies doi: 10.3390/en18226011

Authors:
Paweł Król
Piotr Małka
Alberto Gallina
Kamil Kasprzyk

Wastewater treatment plants are municipal facilities established by governments to process wastewater from local communities. Aeration is a crucial stage of wastewater cleaning. In this paper authors present the concept of an airflow controller based on measures obtained from installation in Kraków/Płaszów. The model of the blowers’ station, which is based on measured values from this plant, is used as a reference. The development of such a numerical model enables tests of more efficient control strategies of blowers, leading to cost savings. From a technical standpoint, such a model can be systematically integrated into the management framework of wastewater treatment plants through the implementation of model predictive control (MPC) strategies. We decided to apply the control strategy presented in this paper to demonstrate the modeling approach by using only SCADA data measurements. The authors present two independent tests introduced to reduce momentary power consumption that is considered as the final indicator of system performance. The first test analyses two approaches to start-up inactive blower. The first algorithm selects the blower that has been inactive the longest. In the second one, the decision to activate the blower is based on its actual characteristics. The results of simulations clearly show that choosing the blower based on its characteristics is non-significantly more effective. The second test presented a strategy that delays blower activation to achieve operation at more favorable working points. A comparison of the simulation shows that delaying their activation leads to an improvement in the operating point, lowering average power consumption.