The objective of this study was to develop a new intelligent aeration control system (IACS) tocontrol energy consumption and membrane fouling under all conditions. The basic idea ofIACS is that the mode and intensity of aeration are automatically adjusted from the feedbackof information on foulant concentration and fouling rate. A set of equations to control aerationwas derived based on feed water quality and fouling index. Then, IACS was applied to a pilotplant to verify its efficiency.The work was done at pilot scale using a 500 msup3/sup/day plant with submerged microfilters(Cleanfil-S20, Kolon, Korea) in a full-scale water treatment plant. Raw water collected from theHan River was used as feed water and poly-aluminum chloride was used as the coagulant. Acomputer-based control and data acquisition system was designed, installed and tested on thepilot plant for intelligent aeration control. The validity of this control method was examinedusing the pilot-scale MF system in long-term operation.Based on the experimental results, it is likely that the IACS is advantageous over otherexisting aeration methods (continuous or periodic aerations). The reduction in energyconsumption was up to 70 % while the transmembrane pressure was stable even with rawwater of high turbidity. Nevertheless, an adjustment of coagulant dose and maintenancecleaning condition was required to control membrane fouling due to algae and organics. Includes 6 references, tables, figures.
Product Details
Edition: Vol. - No. Published: 11/01/2009 Number of Pages: 9File Size: 1 file , 900 KB