Distribution of oxygen consumption in an aeration tank:
comparison of engineering approaches and computerized simulation

Summary

A review of engineering and numerical approaches to describing the distribution of oxygen consumption in the aerobic zone of an aeration tank, a key element of biological wastewater treatment systems is presented. The schemes indicated in the engineering literature (EPA Design Manual, S. Jeyanagam, R. Venner, J. Tchobanoglos, D. Rosso, D. A. Danilovich, and A. N. Epov) are considered. The listed approaches are compared with the results of the computerized simulation performed in the GPS-X software environment using the ASM3 model and the series-connected reactor model. The simulation was carried out for different temperature conditions reflecting seasonal variation. It is shown that the oxygen distribution schemes adopted in engineering practice do not take into account the effect of temperature, flow velocity and longitudinal dispersion, what can lead to significant deviations in the design of aeration tanks. A unified approach to comparing oxygen distribution processes is proposed. Practical recommendations for the use of computerized simulation to specify design solutions are presented.

Key words

biological treatment , aeration tank , GPS-X , series-connected reactor model , ASM3 , temperature conditions , oxygen consumption

For citation: Kolbasov G. A., Korolev M. A., Raff P. A., Usmanov R. R. Distribution of oxygen consumption in an aeration tank: comparison of engineering approaches and computerized simulation. Vodosnabzhenie i Sanitarnaia Tekhnika, 2025, no. 8, pp. 22–27. DOI: 10.35776/VST.2025.08.03. (In Russian).

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