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Analysis of the bottlenecks in the existing sewage system of Zolder, Belgium

Olde Heuvel, E.M. (2022) Analysis of the bottlenecks in the existing sewage system of Zolder, Belgium.

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Abstract:The effects of climate change have large impacts on how water is being handled in urban living spaces. Over the past years, it has become apparent that the increasing temperature on earth is causing more extreme weather events. This also has a direct impact on the severeness of rainfall events and how they can cause nuisance in dense urban areas. Increased amounts of heavy rainfall events have significant impacts on water management in urban living spaces, specifically when it comes to the management of sewage systems. In Flanders, the optimization of several sewage systems has become an important topic to prepare for the expected extreme weather events. An important tool for these optimizations is the use of sewage modelling. In this study, an existing sewage system in Zolder (Belgium) will be evaluated using sewage modelling, to make possible improvements possible. The aim can be formulated as follows: Identifying and assessing the bottlenecks in the sewage system of Zolder by means of a model of the existing situation and criteria for identifying the bottlenecks. In addition, initial solutions will be proposed to resolve the bottlenecks in the system. To evaluate the sewage system of Zolder, a model of the existing situation has been built using the software Infoworks ICM. The model was mainly based on the information that had been provided through the database. This database had been set-up before the start of this study. The model consists out of three components: The network, catchment and boundary conditions. The network was based on the objects in the system like manholes, pipelines and hydraulic structures. The catchment included the modelling of the runoff areas and wastewater in the study area. As for the boundary conditions, incoming and outgoing flows were taken into account in the model. The criteria used for identifying the bottlenecks were based on criteria stated in the Code of Good Practice (Coordinatiecommissie Integraal Waterbeleid, 2012). This document states the design requirements for sewage systems in Flanders. The criteria were focused on identifying capacity bottlenecks by evaluating the sewage system based on flooding and activation of Combined Sewers Overflows. In addition to the bottleneck analysis, a validation was carried out to determine the accuracy of the model and the credibility of the results. The validation results showed that the model is able simulate the same large bottlenecks that are known according to historical data. The analysis of the bottlenecks showed that the sewage system of Zolder does suffer from a lack of capacity. There are bigger areas of flooding and the majority of the CSOs are activated too often. The biggest pressure is built up at the most downstream point of the sewage network, namely at the RWZI (sewage treatment plant). In general, the solutions to resolve these issues should be focused on creating more delay of the flow throughout the system and increasing the capacity at the flooding locations. All in all, the study concludes that a proper model of the sewage system of Zolder has been built, which is able to identify the large bottlenecks. Further improvements can be made in the model, mainly by filling up the gaps in the data available about the system. In addition, the model should be validated as well on a quantitative basis, using present-day measurements. The specific solutions proposed in the study should be evaluated in a new version of the model for the future situation.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:ET: Engineering Technology
Programme:Civil Engineering BSc (56952)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/93601
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