Open AccessWastewater Equalization for Batch Production Plants
Author(s) -
Li B.,
Hui C.W.,
Smith R.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
engineering in life sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.547
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1618-2863
pISSN - 1618-0240
DOI - 10.1002/1618-2863(20020709)2:7<190::aid-elsc190>3.0.co;2-k
Subject(s) - wastewater , production (economics) , process engineering , buffer (optical fiber) , batch production , batch processing , sewage treatment , waste management , production rate , engineering , computer science , environmental science , operations management , telecommunications , economics , macroeconomics , programming language
This paper proposes a systematic approach for debottlenecking wastewater treatment systems of batch production plants in which wastewater generation rates fluctuate at different production stages. In batch production plants, buffer tanks are commonly used to regulate the wastewater feed rate, concentration, temperature, etc., before the wastewater is sent to treatment units. The size of the buffer tank needs to be designed properly so that its size is minimized and still has enough capacity to handle various operating conditions. In many cases, the size of the buffer tank can be reduced or eliminated by simply adjusting the batch production schedules. This paper proposes a graphical method that systematically finds the appropriate size buffer tank based upon historical data, assuming that production schedule changes are not allowed. For systems that allow production schedules to be changed, a mathematical model is used to optimize the size of the buffer tank.