Virtual Piloting and Development of A Digital Twin of a Novel Membrane Bioreactor Technology

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a powerful process tool that avoids extensive and costly real-life testing and troubleshooting. The value and power of this computer-based testing for wastewater treatment technology design has been demonstrated many times before. Besides a highly effective and efficient way to get to the most optimal design, CFD provides in-depth insights that cannot be acquired in any other way. The application of CFD as a tool to replace or reduce real-life piloting (Nopens et al., 2018), is what is now called “virtual piloting”. Another upcoming application of computer modeling that reflects and simulates a system is the “digital twin”. The digital twin is used to monitor, operate, control, and understand a single unit operation or a complete train of unit operations, describing not only the chemical/biological part but also the real mixing behavior. This paper evaluates, with an advanced 2-phase CFD model (gas/liquid), the current performance of a Baffled Membrane Bioreactor (B-MBR) technology developed by Maezawa Industries Inc., with a specific focus on the increased insight of the mixing performance and dissolved oxygen transfer. Additionally, a digital twin as an advanced flowsheet model (dynamic compartmental model) of the B-MBR was developed to assess the performance in terms of effluent quality (dynamic biokinetics). Based on the results of this study, informed and optimal decisions were taken to improve the performance of the B-MBR.