Water Treatment
Water and wastewater recovery facilities offer a unique set of modeling challenges. Moving water through a treatment plant includes a mix of flow diversions, flow splitting, free surface and pressurized pipe flow conditions, with head loss and detailed velocity fields all important modeling outcomes. Other process modeling challenges include aeration, hindered settling, chemistry, and impeller motion. FLOW-3D HYDRO‘s advanced auxiliary models allow modelers to go beyond the hydraulics of the flow. Grit removal, chlorine contact tanks, sludge settling and aeration all have their own dedicated models and give the user full flexibility into choosing the level of sophistication of their modeling effort. With its TruVOF capabilities, FLOW-3D HYDRO can seamlessly handle a range of free surface pressurized flow conditions.
Water Treatment Focused Applications
Grit removal
Flow splitting
Clarifiers
Hydraulic head losses
Aeration
Activated sludge models
Contact tanks
Water Treatment Simulations
Water Treatment Playlist
Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) events have negative effects on human health and the environment. Flap gates can be used as constriction flow meters for the estimation of SSO discharge. FLOW-3D HYDRO provides powerful insights into the analysis of fluid-solid interaction. This can be used for direct estimation of flow rate at a specified head differential and flap gate diameter. Additionally, factors like density variations of flap gate cover, the thickness of flap gate cover, angle of flap gate at the opening, hinge point locations, etc. can be considered and tested in FLOW-3D HYDRO. The simulation model is validated by comparing the results with that of the experimental. A good agreement between the results of the FLOW-3D HYDRO model and experimental results can be seen.
This FLOW-3D simulation shows multiple examples of air bubbles injected from the bottom of a fluid reservoir. Due to buoyancy, the bubbles rise to the bottom and as they diffuse into the surrounding fluid, the overall density of the fluid changes. Learn more about FLOW-3D‘s multiphysics capabilities at https://www.flow3d.com/modeling-capabilities/
Sedimentation and aeration comprise two key unit processes in wastewater/water treatment. Sedimentation involves the gravity-driven separation of particles heavier than water, and typically occurs in grit chambers and primary/secondary clarifiers. To design these systems effectively, it is important to accurately capture the physics of some of these unit processes, such as the flow characteristics as well as different settling regimes, such as discrete or hindered settling. This simulation shows the sludge settling process in a circular clarifier. In this simulation we track the sludge concentration and the settling velocities based on the sludge concentrations.
The interaction of solid particulate matter with air bubbles (seen in orange and rising from aerators at the bottom) can be studied in detail using FLOW-3D HYDRO. Typical applications include aeration tanks in waste water treatment facilities.
In this municipal application of FLOW-3D HYDRO, the Moving Objects model is implemented in order to simulate the mixing process occurring in the tank. Die, streamlines and volume rendering are used to understand the flow patterns within the tank and estimate mixing efficiencies and time scales. For more examples of how FLOW-3D HYDRO can be used for water and environmental applications, visit https://www.flow3d.com/products/flow-3d-hydro/water-treatment/
The final installment of our 2018 W&E technical webinar series will take place this Thursday (10/4/18) at 1PM (EDT). In this webinar, Flow Science CFD engineer Brian Fox will explain how to model chemical reactions in FLOW-3D using our reaction kinetics model. The presentation will include an overview of capabilities for the reaction kinetics model, then a preview of the new reaction kinetics GUI set to be released with FLOW-3D v12.
In this video, sludge settling in a septic tank is being simulated with FLOW-3D HYDRO. The simulation shows that the newly-added sludge largely stays in the main chamber of the tank, with a small amount of it entering the secondary settlement chamber through the hole on the separation wall.
FLOW-3D HYDRO simulation of an aerated lagoon. The Lagrangian particle model was used to simulate the air bubbles added by an array of submerged coarse bubble diffusers. Two-way momentum coupling between the particles and fluid allows for evaluation of mixing efficiency.
This FLOW-3D simulation shows multiple examples of air bubbles injected from the bottom of a fluid reservoir. Due to buoyancy, the bubbles rise to the bottom and as they diffuse into the surrounding fluid, the overall density of the fluid changes.
Simulation of a wastewater aeration tank in FLOW-3D HYDRO. Gas particles are used to simulate the effects of the bubble diffussers. Each individual gas particle transfers momentum to the fluid that results in mixing within the tank. Learn more about FLOW-3D HYDRO‘s extensive modeling capabilities for municipal hydraulics: https://www.flow3d.com/products/flow-3d-hydro/water-treatment/
Disinfection of water is an important part of wastewater/water treatment processes. One method of disinfection uses chlorine added to the water in a Contact Tank. This simulation models the interactions between chlorine and a pathogen in a contact tank. The simulation first models the hydrodynamics of the contact tank. Then the disinfection process is modelled using a scalar model to represent the chlorine and pathogen and is coupled with a reaction kinetics model to model the consumption of the chlorine and the decay of the pathogen due to disinfection. Learn more about FLOW-3D HYDRO‘s solution for the water treatment industry at https://www.flow3d.com/products/flow-3d-hydro/water-treatment/