SeweX modelling tool for corrosion

& odour management

Rob Dexter, DCM Process Control, New Zealand
Tung Nguyen, NexGen Water, Australia
Kara Mueller and Achilles Milanes, City of Gold Coast, Australia
Keshab Sharma and Zhiguo Yuan, The University of Queensland, Australia
Take-home message

A power model is available to support

proactive management of sewer
corrosion and odour
Presentation outline
• An overview of the SeweX model
• SeweX model development – a little history
• SeweX capability
• Inputs required by the model
• Application examples
What’s the SeweX model?
A state-of-the-art dynamic, network model describing in-sewer
physical, chemical and biological processes, predicting:
- Corrosion and odor hotspots
- Optimization of mitigation strategies including both chemical dosing
and ventilation
- Master planning
- Operational optimization
- Methane emissions as a greenhouse gas
- Feed to a wastewater treatment plant
SeweX and sewer modelling
Hydraulic modelling Ventilation modelling

SeweX

Corrosion & odor Optimized mitigation Feed to WWT

hot spots strategies (what, where & how) models
Starting point (2003)

Collapsed 900 mm Gravity Main of GCW after a

short service time of 12 years (Feb 2003) The rapid corrosion of a large SWC gravity main (2.9m
wide, 2m high, 10km), rehabilitated with a cost of $100M
Starting point (2003)
 Partnership in Australia and beyond (>$30M)

• Partners outside
Australia
• DC Water
• Brown & Caldwell
• USP Technologies
• Aquafin NV
• PUB, Singapore
• DCM Process
Control
 Research done to date
The lifetime prediction will allow making
trade-offs between corrosion rate and
mitigation costs
Corrosion processes
• Dependency of corrosion rate on key
Odour factors
measurement, • Model predicting corrosion rate
Gas abatement • Remaining service time estimation
treatment technology
Sewer wall
assessment and
Biofilms on wall causing
optimisation corrosion
Ventilation Target levels of H2S and
Sewer gas phase
technology other compounds in Model to predict the
sewer gas
production, emission
and transport of the
Transport
compounds
Emission
Sewer liquid phase
Liquid phase technologies to minimize
production/emission of H2S and other odorous
Production compounds
Biofilms on wall producing sulfide
and other compounds
Sewer wall
Research methodology
• An integrated approach
Research methodology
• An integrated approach
Microbiology

Project Material
management science

Biochemical
engineering

Industrial
experience Mathematical
modelling
Sensors &
instrumentation
SeweX capability
• Version 0 in 2003 for rising mains based on literature
• Improved, calibrated and validated over 13 years
• Biochemical reaction models enhanced
• Impact of flows on kinetics incorporated
• Reactions induced by chemical addition modelled (O2, nitrate, iron, Mg(OH)2, Caustic, FNA)
• Methane prediction included
• Extended to gravity sewers (gas/liquid mass transfer, air movement)
• Interface with hydraulic models
• Physicochemical reactions, pH prediction
• pH inhibition
• Sulfide consumption by air-phase biofilm
• Interface with wastewater treatment model for integrated simulation
• ARMA model for flow prediction to support on-line chemical dosing control
• In-sediment reactions
• Many real-life application over the past 13 years
• On-going improvement with new knowledge generated
Data requirements
Manual sampling - 2003
• Sewer details - from GIS, layout map etc.
• Hydraulic data - from hydraulic model,
SCADA data and wet-well details
• Air flow data - from an external model
(optional)
• Wastewater composition - historical data,
On-line monitoring - today
measurement campaign, assumptions in the
case of domestic sewage 9

Sulfide concentration (mgS/L)

8
7

• Other information 6
5

• Chemical dosing if any, sewage temperature,

4
3

humidity, odour control facilities if any

2
1
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Time (h)
Case study 1: master planning at
catchment scale
Application of the SeweX model to one catchment
saved SWC $90 millions
Maximum H2S (ppm)

[672 m]
30
[332 m]
20
[4,158 m]
10
[10,987 m]
5
[265,909 m]
0

00:00:00 01-Jan-1990

Nguyen et al. (2015) Nov 1-7.

Case study 2: operational optimisation
for selected pipes
SeweX Model

O2 injection

NO-3 addition

Iron addition

Mg(OH)2 addition
Feed-forward
Parameters
Caustic additionNo dosing Profiled dosing
dosing 25% chemical
Sewage flow (ML/d)
-
21 20.9 20.9 saving!
pH NO 2/FNA addition7.4 ± 0.2 7.3 ± 0.2 7.4 ± 0.2 Annual saving can be
Average TDS (mgS/L) 1.65 0.13 0.07
Biomaterials higher due to rainfalls.
90% TDS (mgS/L) 3.08 0.46 0.23
Iron dosage (L/day) 0 433 318
Case study 3: Impact of trade waste discharge
Ferric Chloride Dosing Trade Waste Sulfide Discharge
Control at 1 mg S/L

Trade Waste Sulfide Discharge Change of Slope at along

Control at 5 mg S/L Critical Section

Headspace
H2S
Case study 4: Estimating CH4 emissions
from a large catchment by developing
empirical equations
Rising mains

Gravity mains
Other applications
• Flow diversions
• Expansion of service area
• Change in water use pattern
• Integrated modelling of sewer and wastewater treatment
plant
Take-home message

A power model is available to support

proactive management of sewer
corrosion and odour
Acknowledgements to team members and partners
Thank You