Treatment of wastewater

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11208339-B2
Application number	US-201716327942-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2017
Priority date	Aug 26, 2016
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of treating wastewater in a wastewater system. The wastewater system comprises a treatment plant comprising a treatment space and a sewer system comprising a sewer space. The treatment plant further comprises a treatment inlet for supplying wastewater to the treatment system from the sewer system. The method comprises the step of: providing a treatment parameter being significant for purification of wastewater in the treatment plant, determining an actual spare plant capacity indicating an amount of wastewater which can be supplied to the treatment space, and determining an actual spare wastewater storage volume indicating an amount of wastewater which can be retained in the sewer space. The amount of wastewater supplied through the treatment inlet to the treatment plant is varied based on the treatment parameter, the actual spare plant capacity, and the actual spare wastewater storage volume.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of treating wastewater in a wastewater system; the wastewater system comprising a treatment plant comprising a treatment space and a sewer system comprising a sewer space, the treatment plant further comprising a treatment inlet for supplying wastewater to the treatment system from the sewer system; the method comprising the step of:
providing a treatment parameter by continuous measurement, wherein the treatment parameter is selected from the group consisting of: Total-N, NH 4 —N, NH 4 —N+NO 3 —N, N 2 O, Total-P, PO 4 —P, COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand), TOC (Total Organic Carbon), TSS (Total Suspended Solids), MLSS (Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids), DO (Dissolved Oxygen), turbidity, OUR (Oxygen Uptake Rate), sludge blanket level, SVI (sludge volume index), sludge composition based on DNA sequencing technology, and combinations thereof, to thereby provide an online treatment parameter,
determining an actual spare plant capacity indicating an amount of wastewater which can be supplied to the treatment space, wherein the step of determining the actual spare capacity is based on prediction of at least one of the amount of wastewater treated and the amount of wastewater supplied through the treatment inlet,
determining an actual spare wastewater storage volume indicating an amount of wastewater which can be retained in the sewer space, and
varying the amount of wastewater supplied through the treatment inlet to the treatment plant based on at least the treatment parameter, the actual spare plant capacity, and the actual spare wastewater storage volume.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the treating of the wastewater comprises at least one of biological and chemical removal of nutrients.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of varying the amount of wastewater supplied is carried out as rain strikes the treatment plant and surrounding areas and further comprising a step of continuing the step of varying the amount of wastewater supplied until the cessation of rain.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of varying the amount of wastewater supplied through the inlet is further based on energy consumption in the wastewater system.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of varying the amount of wastewater supplied through the inlet is further based on variable costs of energy consumption.

6. A method according claim 1 , further comprising a step of monitoring effluent quality of the wastewater after treatment in the treatment plant, and wherein the step of varying the amount of wastewater supplied through the inlet is further based on the effluent quality.

7. A method according to claim 6 , further comprising a step of determining a risk of exceeding an effluent threshold value, and wherein the step of varying the amount of wastewater supplied through the inlet is further based on the determined risk.

8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the treatment plant comprises a digester, and wherein the step of varying the amount of wastewater supplied through the inlet is further based on an amount of biogas produced in the digester.

9. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of dosing an amount of at least one substance to the treatment plant, and a step of determining the substance amount, wherein the step of varying the amount of wastewater supplied through the inlet is further based on the determined amount of the at least one substance.

10. A method according to claim 9 , wherein the substance is selected from a group consisting of: precipitated chemical, iron, aluminium, carbon, polymer, nutrient, base, acid, and combinations thereof.

11. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of determining a risk of overflow in the wastewater system, and wherein the step of varying the amount of wastewater supplied through the inlet is further based on the determined risk.

12. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of mathematically modelling at least one of treatment parameter, actual spare plant capacity, and actual spare wastewater storage volume by use of a mathematical model, and wherein the step of varying the amount of wastewater supplied through the inlet is further based on the mathematical modelling.

13. A method according to claim 12 , wherein the step of mathematically modelling the treatment parameter includes online measurements of the treatment parameter.

14. A method according to claim 12 , wherein the step of mathematically modelling comprises a step of calibrating the mathematical model based on online measurements of the treatment parameter.

15. A method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the steps of providing a treatment parameter, determining the actual spare plant capacity and determining the actual spare sewer volume is based on forecast information.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the forecast information is based on information from the group consisting of: information from one or more rain gauges, weather radar, weather forecasts, temperature, satellite data, one or more flow measurements in the sewer system, one or more signals from one or more pumping stations arranged in the sewer system, and combinations thereof.

17. A wastewater treatment system forming a treatment space connected to a sewer space for receiving wastewater from the sewer space and including a control structure for controlling fluid flow of the wastewater from the sewer space to the treatment space, the system comprising:
a parameter structure configured to provide a treatment parameter by continuous measurement, wherein the treatment parameter is selected from the group consisting of:
Total-N, NH 4 —N, NH 4 —N+NO 3 —N, N 2 O, Total-P, PO 4 —P, COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand), TOC (Total Organic Carbon), TSS (Total Suspended Solids), MLSS (Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids), DO (Dissolved Oxygen), turbidity, OUR (Oxygen Uptake Rate), sludge blanket level, SVI (sludge volume index), sludge composition based on DNA sequencing analysis technology, and combinations thereof, to thereby provide an online treatment parameter,
a capacity structure configured to determine an actual spare plant capacity indicating an amount of wastewater which can be supplied to the treatment space, wherein the actual spare capacity is based on prediction of a least one of the amount of wastewater treated and the amount of wastewater supplied through the treatment inlet,
a volume structure configured to determine an actual spare wastewater storage volume indicating an amount of wastewater which can be retained in the sewer space,
wherein
the control structure is configured to varying the flow of the wastewater from the sewer space to the treatment space based on at least the treatment parameter, the actual spare plant capacity, and the actual spare sewer volume.

18. A wastewater treatment system according to claim 17 , wherein the parameter structure configured to provide a treatment parameter significant for treatment of the wastewater in the treatment space comprises one or more measuring devices configured to measure the treatment parameter.

19. A wastewater treatment system according to claim 18 , wherein the parameter structure further comprises a parameter processor configured to mathematically model at least one treatment parameter.

20. A wastewater treatment system according to claim 17 , wherein the capacity structure configured to determine

Assignees

• Krueger As I
• Univ Danmarks Tekniske

Inventors

• Munk-Nielsen Thomas
• Grum Morten
• Tychsen Peter
• Thomsen Henrik Andreas Rønnow
• Madsen Henrik
• Jørgensen John Bagterp
• Halvgaard Rasmus Fogtmann

Classifications

• Y02W10/10

  Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage · CPC title

• C02F2209/006

  comprising a software program or a logic diagram · CPC title

• E03F2201/20

  Measuring flow in sewer systems · CPC title

• C02F3/006 Primary

  Regulation methods for biological treatment · CPC title

• C02F1/5209

  Regulation methods for flocculation or precipitation · CPC title