Potentialities of energy saving in the operation of a sanitation system of a big city

Summary

The article, without mathematical formalization, with due consideration of physical interpretations of the process of wastewater disposal in a large city, reveals the potential for energy savings in the process of wastewater transportation in an extensive gravity network, enclosed in its very structure. This potential can be fulfilled through targeted operational redistribution of wastewater flows over sewage pumping stations and transportation mains of the network, achieving the minimum of total energy consumption by all pumping stations. It is shown that the calculation of such a redistribution is possible only on the basis of a mathematical model of the project by formulating and solving the corresponding optimization problem. The requirements that the mathematical model of the project shall meet are discussed; and its capabilities are shown while operating the network not only in normal operating conditions but also in emergency situations. The consideration of the problem is based on the positive results of a large-scale industrial experiment conducted earlier on the optimal management of a section of the Moscow sanitation system.

Key words

sewerage pumping station , water disposal system , specific features of the sewer network structure , electrical energy consumption , redistribution of wastewater flows , mathematical model of the project , optimization task