analysis of a pilot-scale anaerobic baffled reactor treating domestic ...
analysis of a pilot-scale anaerobic baffled reactor treating domestic ...
analysis of a pilot-scale anaerobic baffled reactor treating domestic ...
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APPLIED VS. APPARENT HYDRAULIC RETENTION TIME<br />
201<br />
APPENDIX A4<br />
The A-HRT quoted throughout this thesis were calculated from the applied flow rate and the empty<br />
<strong>reactor</strong> volume i.e.<br />
3<br />
<strong>reactor</strong> volume<br />
[] [ m ]<br />
HRT h =<br />
3<br />
Eq. A4- 1<br />
Flow rate [ m h]<br />
This implies that fluid spends the same amount <strong>of</strong> time in the ABR as it would if passed through a<br />
plug flow <strong>reactor</strong> in which the entire working volume was available for through flow.<br />
It was observed that the upflow compartments in the <strong>pilot</strong>-<strong>scale</strong> ABR operated as fluidised beds; core<br />
samples withdrawn from the upflow section showed a settled sludge bed section, above which a<br />
fluidised bed existed. The latter in some cases extended to the top <strong>of</strong> the compartment, or when the<br />
total sludge load <strong>of</strong> the compartment was lower, extended partway up the compartment and was<br />
surmounted by a relatively clear liquid zone.<br />
Presence <strong>of</strong> solids in each compartment would have resulted in a reduction <strong>of</strong> the volume <strong>of</strong> the<br />
compartment available for flow <strong>of</strong> the liquid phase. This concept is depicted graphically in Figure A4.<br />
1 where <strong>reactor</strong> volume available for fluid flow is equal to the total compartment volume less the<br />
volume filled with sludge.<br />
Total compartment volume Apparent compartment volume<br />
(available for fluid flow)<br />
Figure A4. 1: Apparent compartment volume is related to the total compartment volume and<br />
the volume occupied by solids that are retained in the compartment.<br />
Thus for a particular flow rate, the average amount <strong>of</strong> time spent by a package <strong>of</strong> fluid in any<br />
compartment should have been less than that predicted by the clean water CFD modelling undertaken<br />
by Dama (Dama et al., 2001).<br />
The A-HRT calculated with Eq. A4- 1 therefore does not tell us the exact residence time <strong>of</strong> fluid in the<br />
<strong>reactor</strong>, but sets an upper bound for this value. The residence time distribution <strong>of</strong> both liquids and<br />
solids, and more importantly, the contact time distribution (Section 2.3.1.2) are important factors<br />
affecting the extent <strong>of</strong> treatment <strong>of</strong> a wastewater stream in digester. In this section, the hypothesis that<br />
an indication <strong>of</strong> residence time can be obtained by comparing inflow and outflow values <strong>of</strong> key<br />
determinands is tested.