OPTIMIZATION OF THICKENING AND DEWATERING THROUGH AUTOMATION

Automation in the wastewater treatment industry is advancing rapidly. Industries and agencies are complying with stricter regulations and performing more tasks with less staff. Automation provides an opportunity to overcome the regulation and staffing hurdles. The automation trend is just reaching the thickening and dewatering processes which are employed at practically every wastewater treatment facility. These processes have routinely been operated with “semi-automatic” controls because of the inherent variations of the feed, and the lack of reliable instrumentation. This research on automated thickening and dewatering involves performing long-term operational tests on automation packages and instruments to determine the potential for fully automated operation. This research is being funded by the Water Environment Research Foundation with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency.The purpose of this project is to deliver a tool for organizations that are considering the automation of thickening and dewatering systems. This paper presents the findings of a literature review on dewatering instrumentation and the testing results from the first facility. The final report will provide a review of each automation package for function, ease of implementation, and cost effectiveness.