Adaptive predictive expert control of dissolved oxygen concentration in a wastewater treatment plant

In this paper we present the application of adaptive predictive expert controllers to dissolved oxygen (DO) control in the aerobic reactors of a wastewater treatment plant. The control system described in this paper consists of adaptive predictive expert control loops complemented by optimisation logic. The controllers successfully cope with nonlinearity and changing operating conditions of the process by predicting the evolution of the controlled variable and adapting to changes in the process dynamics. This results in more precise and stable DO control, offering many benefits. The complementary optimisation logic maintains the air pressure in the common collector at the lowest possible level, enabling adequate DO control and thus considerably reducing energy consumption.     

基于RBF代理模型的调水过程优化研究

调蓄工程通过泵站调水过程中,需要通过合理的控制泵站启闭时间来调节水位,从而不断优化调水过程,但以往的优化方法效率低而且不易得到最优方案。为解决这一问题,本文以南水北调东线山东段南四湖下级湖为研究对象,基于径向基函数(Radial Basis Function,RBF)代理模型建立调水过程优化模型,得到了调水过程方案参数区间内的最优方案,并基于实际调水情况求得不同起调水位下的调水过程最优方案。首先根据调水过程方案参数区间自动选取80个调水过程方案样本,并利用一维二维耦合水动力模型算出每个方案的水位变化过程;其次采用RBF代理模型建立并验证调水过程方案与最高水位、最低水位的响应关系;最后基于RBF代理模型,以泵站工作总时间最短为目标,考虑水量平衡和水位约束建立优化模型,采用粒子群算法求解。研究结果表明,基于RBF代理模型的调水过程最优方案结果与耦合模型计算该方案结果的绝对水深误差不超过0.05 m,相对水深误差不超过0.99%,模型计算精度高。基于RBF代理模型的调水过程优化模型,求解得到调水过程参数区间内的最优方案,解决了传统方法在人为设定有限个方案内得到较优方案的局限性。     

Towards a common benchmark for long-term process control and monitoring performance evaluation.

The COST/IWA benchmark simulation model has been available for seven years. Its primary purpose has been to create a platform for control strategy benchmarking of biological wastewater treatment processes. The fact that the benchmark has resulted in more than 100 publications, not only in Europe but also worldwide, demonstrates the interest for such a tool in the research community. In this paper, an extension of the benchmark simulation model no. 1 (BSM1) is proposed. It aims at facilitating evaluation of two closely related operational tasks: long-term control strategy performance and process monitoring performance. The motivation for the extension is that these two tasks typically act on longer time scales. The extension proposed here consists of 1) prolonging the evaluation period to one year (including influent files), 2) specifying time varying process parameters and 3) including sensor and actuator failures. The prolonged evaluation period is necessary to obtain a relevant and realistic assessment of the effects of such disturbances. Also, a prolonged evaluation period allows for a number of long-term control actions/handles that cannot be evaluated in a realistic fashion in the one week BSM1 evaluation period. In the paper, models for influent file design, parameter changes and sensor failures, initialization procedure and evaluation criteria are discussed. Important remaining topics, for which consensus is required, are identified. The potential of a long-term benchmark is illustrated with an example of process monitoring algorithm benchmarking.     

Improving oxygen concentration control in activated sludge process with estimation of respiration and scheduling control.

The paper presents an efficient and simple model-based method of on-line estimation of respiration from the current values of dissolved oxygen concentration and airflow signals. Fast estimation of respiration is important because respiration appears as the most important disturbance signal in the control of dissolved oxygen concentration, and could therefore be used for improving control efficiency. A parameter scheduling PI (proportional and integral) control scheme is proposed, where the estimated respiration signal is used for scheduling of the PI controller parameters, by using local linearization of the process dynamics. The performance of the scheduling controller is compared to a conventional PI controller in simulation using the COST simulation benchmark, and experimentally on an activated sludge process pilot plant.     

Nutrient removal process development and full scale implementation at the 4 million p.e. main treatment plant of Vienna, Austria.

The Main Treatment Plant of Vienna is in extension for 4 million p.e. and very stringent nutrient removal requirements. The existing high rate BOD removal activated sludge plant (in operation since 1980) is extended by a second stage activated sludge plant and a newly developed flow scheme for nitrogen removal optimisation adaptable to the temperature variations over the year. For this plant pilot investigations have been performed for the development of a specific mathematical model (ASMV) and a specific aeration control strategy. The civil work of the extension is already finished and the installation of the equipment has started. Operation should start in 2004. The whole project will cost about [see symbol in text]264 million of which about one half is for civil work. The effluent standards correspond to the requirements for sensitive areas in EU Directive for Municipal Waste Water. The raw primary and excess sludge are incinerated after thickening and dewatering. This paper tries to condense the already existing literature with the construction progress and the cost situation.     

Iterative design of a nitrate controller using an external carbon source in an activated sludge process

More stringent effluent and cost requirements are increasing the need for better control of wastewater treatment plants. In an activated sludge process, the nitrogen removal efficiency may be improved by adding an external carbon source. In this paper, automatic control of the nitrate level by regulating external carbon flow is discussed. More specifically, an iterative tuning procedure for the controller is outlined. Iterative controller design schemes aim at tuning high performance controllers of low complexity using closed loop data. The basic strategy used in this paper is an iterative pole placement controller design procedure. The suggested approach is compared with conventional design in a simulation study.     

模糊层次分析法在水利项目成本风险评估中的应用

为提升我国水利工程项目成本风险管理水平,本文基于风险管理理论,并结合模糊数学原理,利用层次分析法,通过辨识水利项目成本风险因素,构建了水利项目成本风险评估模型。应用实例表明:模糊层次分析模型在水利项目成本风险评估中具有较强的适用性。本研究成果可为水利项目成本风险控制及评估提供决策依据。     

The application of model predictive control of ammonia nitrogen in an activated sludge process

In this paper a model predictive controller (MPC) for ammonia nitrogen is presented and evaluated in a real activated sludge process. A reduced nonlinear mathematical model based on mass balances is used to model the ammonia nitrogen in the activated sludge plant. An MPC algorithm that minimises only the control error at the end of the prediction interval is applied. The results of the ammonia MPC were compared with the results of the ammonia feedforward-PI and ammonia PI controllers from our previous study. The ammonia MPC and ammonia feedforward-PI controller give better results in terms of ammonia removal and aeration energy consumption than the ammonia PI controller because of the measurable disturbances used. On the other hand, with the ammonia MPC, comparable or even slightly poorer results than with the ammonia feedforward-PI controller are obtained. Further improvements to the MPC could be possible with an improved accuracy of the nonlinear reduced model of the ammonia nitrogen, more sophisticated control criteria used inside the controller and the extension of the problem from univariable ammonia to multivariable total nitrogen control.     

Hierarchical Operation of Water Level Controllers: Formal Analysis and Application on a Large Scale Irrigation Canal

We introduce a hierachical controller, the purpose of which is to speed up the water delivery process as compared to the standard method applied currently in the field. The lower layer of the hierarchical control consists of local proportional integral filter controllers (PIF controllers) for upstream control at each gate; specifically they are proportional integral controllers with a low-pass filter. In contrast, the higher layer is composed of a centralized model-based predictive controller, which acts by controlling the head gate and by coordinating the local PIF controllers by modifying their setpoints when needed. The centralized controller is event-driven and is invoked only when there is a need for it (a water delivery request) and as such it contributes scarcely to the communication burden. The scheme is robust to temporary communication losses as the local PIF controllers are fully able to control the canal in their normal independent automatic upstream control mode until the communication links are restored. We discuss the application of the hierarchical controller to a precise numerical model of the Central California Irrigation District Main Canal. This shows the improved performance of the new hierarchical controller over the standard control method.     

Transfer Function Formulation of Saint-Venant’s Equations for Modeling Drainage Channel Flow: An Experimental Evaluation

Space constraints in developed urban cities necessitate utilizing existing capacity of the drainage system for actively controlling and optimizing the flow during a flood event. This is mainly achieved by the use of non-structural control measures (in the form of suitable controllers and control strategies) for controlling existing structures such as gates in the drainage system. However, the timely opening and closing of gates is fully governed by the rapid feedback and real time control of these structures. Hence, for an extreme rainfall event and flooding, it is necessary to rapidly model the peak flow and time to peak in the drainage system, the results of which can be used for the timely operation of the control structures. Owing to the fact that the conventional modeling methods are quite time consuming and cumbersome, a simplified approach based on transfer function formulation of Saint-Venant’s equations have been proposed in this study. The simplified approach has been validated with the help of carefully planned laboratory experiments in which a test setup consisting of a model drainage channel with upstream and downstream gates have been developed. This laboratory model was used to simulate different flow conditions by the appropriate opening and closing of upstream and downstream gates. It was noted that the results obtained using the simplified approach matches well with the experimentally observed trends. This demonstrates the robustness of the new simplified approach for modeling flow conditions in drainage system.     

A GA-HP Model for the Optimal Design of Sewer Networks

This paper illustrates the application of a new model combined Genetic Algorithm with Heuristic Programming (GA-HP) technique in order to establish the optimal design for sewer networks. The objective is to minimise the construction cost function, which is represented by the depth of excavation and pipe diameter. The proposed GA-HP model has achieved the optimum design task in two stages. Firstly, the Genetic Algorithm (GA) was applied to obtain the diameters of the pipes needed for the preliminary design of the network. Secondly, Heuristic Programming (HP) preliminary designs were used to obtain the optimal slope for those pipes and to determine other characteristics such as the velocity, relative depth of water, excavation depths and total cost of the network. A MATLAB code was used to perform the GA-HP optimisation modelling. The performance of three different selection methods, four different crossover methods and different population sizes is examined with the proposed model, to determine their impact on convergence behaviour. The proposed GA-HP model is tested using some benchmark examples of sewer networks from the literature. The results show that the GA-HP model is superior to all previous methods and may be more efficient in the design of large networks.     

Advanced data management for optimising the operation of a full-scale WWTP

The lack of appropriate data management tools is presently a limiting factor for a broader implementation and a more efficient use of sensors and analysers, monitoring systems and process controllers in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This paper presents a technical solution for advanced data management of a full-scale WWTP. The solution is based on an efficient and intelligent use of the plant data by a standard centralisation of the heterogeneous data acquired from different sources, effective data processing to extract adequate information, and a straightforward connection to other emerging tools focused on the operational optimisation of the plant such as advanced monitoring and control or dynamic simulators. A pilot study of the advanced data manager tool was designed and implemented in the Galindo-Bilbao WWTP. The results of the pilot study showed its potential for agile and intelligent plant data management by generating new enriched information combining data from different plant sources, facilitating the connection of operational support systems, and developing automatic plots and trends of simulated results and actual data for plant performance and diagnosis.     

基于SWMM和层次分析法的调蓄池预选址方案选择

近年来频发的内涝给城市排水防涝带来严重挑战。调蓄池是城市内涝防治系统的重要组成部分,而调蓄池预选址的选择,关系到调蓄池的效益和成本,也影响后续优化求解。为合理选择调蓄池的潜在位置,根据内涝防治标准,基于SWMM模型,选取积水深度、积水范围、积水时间、调蓄池造价、节点重要性等5项指标,借助层次分析法,建立了量化评价框架,探讨了基于预选址指数的雨水系统调蓄池预选址方案的选择方法,并进行了应用案例验证,研究表明:调蓄池的位置选择对内涝积水削减比例有重要影响;所提出的方法有一定的可行性和实用性,借助该方法可以得到较好的预选址方案。本研究成果可为城市内涝防治调蓄池选址工作提供技术支撑。     

干湿循环下膨胀土边坡变形发展过程的数值模拟

利用非饱和土简化固结理论,通过调整土体的排气率和渗透系数来数值模拟干湿循环导致的非饱和膨胀土边坡裂缝的张开闭合以及变形发展过程。结果表明,每次干湿循环后膨胀土边坡均积累了顺坡向的沉降和水平向位移,揭示了干湿循环下膨胀土边坡破坏的浅层性和渐进性。对比离心模型试验结果表明,本文建议的数值模拟方法是可行的。     

Life cycle optimisation for highway best management practices.

Highway runoff can cause a number of water quantity and quality problems. Stormwater management systems for highways have been developed based on a fast drainage for large storm situations. Non-point source pollution from highway runoff is a growing water quality concern. Stormwater quality control needs to be integrated into highway drainage design and operation to reduce the stormwater impacts on the receiving water. A continuous simulation/optimisation model for analysing integrated highway best management practices (BMPs) is presented. This model can evaluate the life cycle performance of infiltration and/or storage oriented highway BMPs. It can be directly integrated with spreadsheet optimisation tools to find the least cost options for implementing BMPs throughout a specified life cycle.     

水电建设企业联盟创造利益分配问题研究

企业同具有互补性优势的企业结成联盟,整合出更强的竞争优势,并降低成本是应对日趋激烈的全球化竞争的主要对策。这种企业联盟是由利益机制驱动的企业组织模式,显然,合理分配联盟创造的利益是维持联盟稳定的关键。通过对Shap ley值模型的分析,探讨联盟创造的利益分配问题,并在考虑风险对利益分配影响的基础上,提出联盟基于成本节约的利益分配具体方案,最后用实例加以阐明。     

Least Economic Cost Regional Water Supply Planning – Optimising Infrastructure Investments and Demand Management for South East England’s 17.6 Million People

This paper presents a deterministic capacity expansion optimisation model designed for large regional or national water supply systems. The annual model selects, sizes and schedules new options to meet predicted demands at minimum cost over a multi-year time horizon. Options include: supply-side schemes, demand management (water conservation) measures and bulk transfers. The problem is formulated as a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) optimisation model. Capital, operating, carbon, social and environmental costs of proposed discrete schemes are considered. User-defined annual water saving profiles for demand management schemes are allowed. Multiple water demand scenarios are considered simultaneously to ensure the supply–demand balance is preserved across high demand conditions and that variable costs are accurately assessed. A wide range of supplementary constraints are formulated to consider the interdependencies between schemes (pre-requisite, mutual exclusivity, etc.). A two-step optimisation scheme is introduced to prevent the infeasibilities that inevitably appear in real applications. The model was developed for and used by the ‘Water Resources in the South East’ stakeholder group to select which of the 316 available supply schemes (including imports) and 511 demand management options (considering 272 interdependencies) are to be activated to serve the inhabitants of South East of England. Selected schemes are scheduled and sized over a 25 year planning horizon. The model shows demand management options can play a significant role in the region’s water supply and should be considered alongside new supplies and regional transfers. Considering demand management schemes reduced overall total discounted economic costs by 10 % and removed two large reservoirs from the least-cost plan. This case-study optimisation model was built using a generalised data management software platform and solved using a mixed integer linear programme.     

Towards a benchmark simulation model for plant-wide control strategy performance evaluation of WWTPs.

The COST/IWA benchmark simulation model has been available for seven years. Its primary purpose has been to create a platform for control strategy benchmarking of activated sludge processes. The fact that the benchmark has resulted in more than 100 publications, not only in Europe but also worldwide, demonstrates the interest in such a tool within the research community In this paper, an extension of the benchmark simulation model no 1 (BSM1) is proposed. This extension aims at facilitating control strategy development and performance evaluation at a plant-wide level and, consequently, includes both pre-treatment of wastewater as well as the processes describing sludge treatment. The motivation for the extension is the increasing interest and need to operate and control wastewater treatment systems not only at an individual process level but also on a plant-wide basis. To facilitate the changes, the evaluation period has been extended to one year. A prolonged evaluation period allows for long-term control strategies to be assessed and enables the use of control handles that cannot be evaluated in a realistic fashion in the one-week BSM1 evaluation period. In the paper, the extended plant layout is proposed and the new suggested process models are described briefly. Models for influent file design, the benchmarking procedure and the evaluation criteria are also discussed. And finally, some important remaining topics, for which consensus is required, are identified.     

大型基坑群基坑工程施工方案优化设计

以西宁火车站综合改造工程总体项目大型基坑群为例,综合考虑安全、工期、造价等因素,对该基坑支护设计和施工组织方案进行了多次比选和合理优化;将原方案一桩到底和框架格构梁+预应力锚索方案优化为上部土钉墙+下部排桩锚杆联合支护体系,有效地控制了基坑开挖过程中产生的变形,简化了施工工序,有效节约了大量建设资金。     

Use of modelling to evaluate best control practice for winery-type wastewaters.

Winery wastewaters are high strength, and readily biodegradable, making them perfect for application of anaerobic digestion. However, inherent buffering against pH changes also requires some process knowledge and monitoring. They are therefore an important target for anaerobic process control. This has had limited application, but is emerging as an important research and development area. In this paper, we evaluate the use of model-based control analysis of a heavily loaded vinasse-fed reactor. Two controllers--both proportional-integral (PI)--on total volatile fatty acids (VFA) (< 500 mg/L), alkalinity (VFA/Total Alkalinity < 0.2) were evaluated in a fitted model, against the actual control mechanism used, which was model-based adaptive control. The two controllers were both less aggressive than the adaptive controller, producing less gas overall, but also using more caustic for pH control. The controllers were also evaluated against their ability to deal with noise, as PI controllers are relatively poor for controlling non-linear processes. The VFA controller was very poor with noise added, proving difficult to tune, and oscillatory. The alkalinity controller was effective with moderate detuning. This emphasizes the need to use effective controller inputs, when applying simple, linear controllers. Overall, use of a model was an effective method to evaluate the different controllers in a competitive way, in a standardized environment.