Water utilities and developers

Wastewater treatment

Process modelling

Sharjah Sewage Treatment Works, UAE

Process modelling and computational fluid dynamics(CFD) have been used to simulate and optimise the performance of several STWs in the UK and overseas.

For Knostrop STW in Leeds, both GPS-X and BioWin software were used to simulate the performance of the plant after expansion under different operational scenarios. The process modelling was carried out to verify the design calculations carried out by Halcrow as part of the contract Laing O'Rourke have been awarded by Yorkshire Water Services.

Sharjah STW in the United Arab Emirates urgently needed improvement of its effluent quality to achieve full nitrification and render it suitable for irrigation. Two options for the Phase 6 ASP plant were modelled using BioWin software. The first option attempted to achieve nitrification without adding additional final settling capacity using MBBR technology (AnoxKaldnes media). The second option involved operating at higher MLSS concentrations which necessitated addition of FST capacity. For each option, a number of scenarios were modelled which included the effect of sewage temperature, ASP volume, DO levels and variations in flows.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) using Fluent software has been used successfully to model flow patterns within disinfection tanks and anoxic selectors in order to confirm retention times and minimise short circuiting.