Modelling and optimization of rotating belt filter for wastewater treatment

在初级处理过程中去除城市污水中的悬浮固体对于污水处理厂的高效运行和对环境的影响最小是至关重要的。在生物处理之前，通过去除物理机制(如过滤)可以很容易地沉淀或去除的部分固体，在减少下游生物过程中的能源需求方面有很大的影响。旋转带式过滤器(RBF)是传统初级澄清器的创新替代品，具有以下切实的好处：(I)物理占地面积显著减少，(Ii)降低资本成本，(Iii)更容易安装和扩展，(Iv)更多控制固体去除过程的机会。在RBFS中控制固体分离过程的能力为设计筛分过程提供了机会，以便有选择地去除符合下游装置过程操作和能量和养分回收的最佳要求的颗粒物部分。特洛伊技术公司是Salnes Filter品牌下RBF的制造商和全球分销商，因此对RBF的建模和预测性能非常感兴趣，以便设计更好的产品，降低投标风险，并量化RBF系统的好处。由于水力和过滤器上固体堆积之间的复杂相互作用，RBFS的建模和优化已被证明是具有挑战性的，因为过滤器上的固体质量直接决定了去除的颗粒尺寸和去除效率。因此，特洛伊在开发能够预测当前RBF设计的RBF过滤的计算流体动力学(CFD)模型方面投入了大量资金，并寻求与西方大学合作，将这一开发活动提升到实施水平。

Removal of suspended solids from municipal wastewater during primary treatment processes is critical for efficient operation of wastewater plants with minimal environmental impact. By removing the fraction of solids that can be readily settled or removed by physical mechanisms such as filtration, prior to biological treatment, there is a great impact in terms of reduced energy demand in downstream biological processes. Rotating belt filters (RBFs) are an innovative alternative to traditional primary clarifiers, with the following tangible benefits: (i) a significantly smaller physical footprint, (ii) lower capital cost, (iii) easier installation and expansion, (iv) greater opportunities to control the solids removal process. The ability to control the solids separation process in RBFs opens up the opportunity to engineer the sieving process in order to selectively remove particulate fractions corresponding to optimal requirements for operation of downstream unit processes and for energy and nutrient recovery. Trojan Technologies is a manufacturer and worldwide distributer of RBFs under the brand name of Salsnes Filter, and therefore has a strong interest in modelling and predicting performance of RBFs in order to design better products, reduce risk in bidding, and quantify the benefits of RBF systems. Modelling and optimization of RBFs has proven challenging due to the complex interplay between hydraulics and accumulation of solids on the filter, since the mass of solids on the filter directly determines the particle sizes removed as well as the removal efficiency. As a result, Trojan has invested significantly in developing a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model capable of predicting RBF filtration for current RBF designs and seeks to collaborate with Western University to take this development activity to the level of implementation.