Task Group on

Good Modelling Practice (gmp)

Guidelines for use of activated sludge models

The Task Group is officially hosted by the IWA Specialist Group on Systems Analysis and Integrated Assessment and has full support from the Task Group on Mathematical Modelling for Design and Operation of Biological Wastewater Treatment.

Introduction

Mathematical modelling of activated sludge systems is used widely for research, plant design, optimisation, training, and model-based process control. The quality of simulation studies can vary strongly depending on the project objectives, resources spent and expertise available. Consideration has to be given to the model accuracy and the amount of time required carrying out a simulation study to produce the required accuracy. A great variety of approaches and insufficient documentation make quality assessment and comparability of simulation results difficult or almost impossible. A general framework for the application of activated sludge models is needed in order to overcome these obstacles.

The genesis of the Task Group lies in a workshop held at the 4th IWA World Water Congress in Marrakech, Morocco where members of 4 research groups - . Hochschulgruppe, STOWA, BIOMATH and WERF – came together to develop plans to synthesize the best practices of modellers from all over the world.

Goals of the Task Group

The goal of the group is to set up an internationally accepted framework to deal with the ASM type models in practice. This framework shall make modelling more straightforward and systematic to use especially for practitioners and consultants. Additionally, it shall help to define quality levels for simulation results, a procedure to assess this quality and to assist in the proper use of the models. The goals can be summarised as follows:

1. Set-up of an internationally accepted framework for activated sludge modelling, which should support the quality control of simulation studies.
2. The framework should be targeted towards practitioners and consultants and therefore has to include cost aspects.
3. The main task is to identify and classify different model application goals together with the required effort to obtain results with sufficient quality to meet the objectives of the study.

Outcomes

The Task Group has developed a Unified Protocol and an Application Matrix as the basis for the modelling framework. The Unified Protocol was developed by synergizing the best salient features of several published modelling protocols and consists of 5 major steps:

1. Project definition
2. Data collection and reconciliation
3. Plant model set-up
4. Calibration and validation
5. Simulation and result interpretation

The Application Matrix consists of a list of 12 typical modelling applications and indicates the relative rigour with which each of the Unified Protocol steps should be carried out for the particular application.

The Task Group has organized and assisted in a number of workshops, seminars, and training courses over the past several years including the extremely successful joint IWA/WEF Wastewater Treatment Modelling Seminars WWTmod2008 and WWTmod2010. For more information on GMP activities see Highlight Information to the right or contact Günter Langergraber (Guenter.Langergraber@boku.ac.at).

The Good Modelling Practice Task Group continues to work toward the completion of the STR on Good Modelling Practice. Details of the STR are available via the following link: http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843391746

Publication list

Corominas, L., Rieger, L., Takács, I., Ekama, G., Hauduc, H., Vanrolleghem, P.A., Oehmen, A., Gernaey, K.V., van Loosdrecht, M.C.M. and Comeau, Y. (2010). New framework for standardized notation in wastewater treatment modelling. Wat. Sci. Tech., 61(4), 841–857.
Hauduc, H., Rieger, L., Takács, I., Héduit, A., Vanrolleghem, P.A. and Gillot, S. (2010). Systematic approach for model verification – Application on seven published Activated Sludge Models. Wat. Sci. Tech., 61(4), 825–839.
Rieger, L., Takacs, I., Shaw, A., Winkler, S., Ohtsuki, T., Langergraber, G. and Gillot, S. (2010). Editorial: Status and future of wastewater treatment modelling. Wat. Sci. Tech., 61(4), 821–823.
Rieger, L., Takács, I., Villez, K., Siegrist, H., Lessard, P., Vanrolleghem, P.A. and Comeau, Y. (2010). Data reconciliation for WWTP simulation studies – Planning for high quality data and typical sources of errors. Water Environment Research, 82(5), 426-433.
Belia, E., Amerlinck, Y., Benedetti, L., Johnson, B., Sin G., Vanrolleghem, P.A., Gernaey, K.V., Gillot, S., Neumann, M.B., Rieger, L., Shaw, A. and Villez, K. (2009). Wastewater treatment modelling: dealing with uncertainties. Wat. Sci. Tech., 60(8), 1929-1941.
Gillot, S., Ohtsuki, T., Rieger, L., Shaw, A., Takacs, I., Winkler, S. (2009). Development of a unified protocol for good modeling practice in activated sludge modeling. Influents, 4, 70-72.
Hauduc, H., Gillot, S., Rieger, L., Ohtsuki, T., Shaw, A., Takács, I. and Winkler, S. (2009) Activated sludge modelling in practice - An international survey. Wat. Sci. Tech., 60(8), 1943-1951.
Hug, T., Benedetti, L., Hall, E.R., Johnson, B.R., Morgenroth, E.F., Nopens, I., Rieger, L., Shaw, A.R. and Vanrolleghem, P.A. (2009). Mathematical models in teaching and training: mismatch between education and requirements for jobs. Wat. Sci. Tech., 59(4), 745-753.
Spérandio, M., Héran, M., Gillot, S. (2007) Modélisation dynamique des procédés biologiques de traitement des eaux, Techniques de l'Ingénieur, W 6 500, 18.
Gillot, S., Choubert, J-M., Racault, Y., Héduit, A. (2007) Etat de l'art de la modélisation du traitement biologique des eaux résiduaires. Tribune de l'eau, 59(640), 35-46.

Contributing Member Organisations

EnviroSim Associates Ltd., Canada

Black & Veatch, Water Technology Group, USA

Kurita Water Industries Ltd., Japan

Cemagref, France

Vienna University of Technology, Austria

University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Austria

modelEAU, Université Laval, Canada
 
École Polytechnique Montréal, Canada

EAWAG, Switzerland

Premium Sponsors

Hydromantis Inc., Canada

MOSTforWATER N.V., Belgium