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Dynamic modelling of sedimentation in the activated

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Article · July 1993

DOI: 10.1080/02630259308970124

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 1993 Gordon and Breach Publishers A.
Vol. pp. 207-224 Printed in the United States of America
available directly from the publisher
Photocopying permitted by license only

DYNAMIC MODELLING OF SEDIMENTATION

IN THE ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS

MARSILI-LIBELLI

Department of Systems and Computers, University of Florence, via di S. 3-50139

Florence, Italy

(Received 19 April 1992; 21 December 1992)

Secondary sedimentation plays a fundamental role in biological wastewater treatment processes where activated
sludges arc used. In addition to water clarification and sludge compaction, the secondary settler is used as a dynamic
storage for the biomass in the system. This role is important for process control since displacing sludge the
settler to the oxidation tank is the main way to adjust process conditions in the short time-scale. The scope of this
paper is to present a model for the time-varying behaviour of the total activated mass, taking into account the
coupling between the aeration tank and the secondary settler. Numerical simulations show that the model can
reproduce any relevant feature of the real system and can be used in control strategy design for sludge management.

KEY WORDS: Sedimentation, thickening, activated sludges, wastewater treatment, mathematical modelling.

INTRODUCTION

The secondary settler plays a crucial role in biological wastewater treatment processes where
activated sludges are used, separating the sludge from the treated water
and compacting the sludge to be returned into the aerator (thickening). But a third and most
important feature is to act as a mass storage for the activated sludge mass operating in the system.
This role is important for process control. In fact, acting on the recycle flow, the sludge mass
can be transferred the settler, where it is simply stored and
inactive, back to the oxidation basin where it is active in degrading the incoming pollutant. Thus
in the short time scale displacing sludge mass from the to the oxidation stage is one way
to change process conditions.
This paper presents a dynamic model for the transfer and accumulation of sludge mass in
the secondary settler based on the theory of hindered settling. This theory, originating some
decades ago the pioneering work of has been widely used as a design
rationale for secondary settlers (see e.g. Keinath et al., 1977 and Lauria et al., but
applications to the operational context were comparatively few. Tracy and pro-
duced the first dynamical model using a mass balance and the Kynch sedimentation law to derive
a partial differential equation (PDE) which was then solved numerically through finite

207
208

differences. Though their work neatly solved the problem from a conceptual point
the resulting model was too complex to be incorporated into larger process schemes and had
the typical numerical shortcomings of PDE-based models in terms of stability and boundary
condition specifications. proposed an elegant numerical method to solve these
problems, reducing the original PDE into a single ordinary differential equation (ODE) through
4
the method of lines. An entirely different approach was followed by Olsson and Chapman who
used “patched” black box models based on the experimental evidence that the dynamic
response of the clarifier was nonsymmetrical, i.e. the responses for flow step increases and
decreases differ. Moreover the emphasis was primarily on the clarification aspect rather than on
thickening and storage. The most recent contribution, due to et
again uses a multi-layered model as Tracy and but introduces the refinement of
choosing the boundaries in a way consistent to the physical properties of the suspension. Though
relying heavily on the Kynch theory in deriving a settling velocity model, the resulting model
is aimed, as with Olsson and with clarification rather than thickening.
The model presented in this paper is based on an ordinary differential equation and represents
an extension of a previous, more limited clarifier model included in a general activated sludge
The aim of the modelling exercise is to describe the dynamics of mass storage in the
secondary settler and how this influences the sludge concentration in the aeration tank through
recycling. The model analyzes the three possible operating modes of critical loading,
underloading and overloading, assessing the implications of all three. After briefly reviewing the
Kynch theory of flocculent suspensions, a general dynamical model of sedimentation is
outlined in broad structural terms before specifying an analytical form of the settling flux
based upon the equation. Later, the dependence of settling dynamics on currently
available process indicators such as the Specific Stirred Volume Index (SSVI) is introduced
with the final result of producing an operational model which can be used to predict and
control the sludge accumulation in the secondary settler and the effect of sludge recycling in the
oxidation basin. The main scope of this paper is to present a model for the time-varying
behaviour of the total activated mass in the system taking into account the interactions between
the aeration tank and the secondary settler when their combined dynamics is considered. In this
analysis the structural properties of the model and its qualitative behaviour were considered to
be pre-eminent over any precise agreement with specific experimental data. As the model is
based on physical laws and parameter values well established in the literature, the assessment
presented later in the paper can be considered of sufficient generality to adapt to any specific
situation.
The theory of flocculent suspensions (sludges), developed primarily by and later
advanced by and Shin and Dick’, is now briefly revisited. It states that the solid flux
of particles due to gravity sedimentation depends on the sludge density X and its velocity
v

Writing a mass balance around a vertical cylinder of thickness dz between heights z and
the rate of change of the density must equal the net flow. Thus
 DYNAMIC MODELLING OF SEDIMENTATION

dividing by dz yields the continuity equation

at (3)

which recalling eq. (1) can be written as

where is defined as the upward propagation velocity of a layer of constant density

X. In this sense sedimentation can be viewed as the upward motion of increasingly thicker layers.
Conversely, the downward motion of a layer at constant concentration X can be derived by the
continuity equation

(5)

Expanding the left-hand-side around X(z,t) and eliminating the common term X(z,t) yields

Equation (6) describes the dynamics at time t of a layer at height z and constant concentration
X. Solving for and comparing with eq. (4) yields

ax
X = (7)

Equation (7) states that if the sedimentation velocity is a function of density alone, a layer of
given concentration X propagates with constant velocity This should not be confused with
the downward motion of a single particle (v) appearing in eq. (1).
Discontinuities occur whenever there is an abrupt change of concentration. In this case the
continuity eq. (3) no longer holds and must be replaced with a mass balance across the
discontinuity

where the index 1’ refers to the layer above the discontinuity and ‘2’ to that below it.
210 S.

Equation (8) is satisfied in general for Therefore in general the discontinuity is not at
rest but moves with velocity

if the difference in concentrations is “small” i.e. and eq. (9) can be

written in incremental terms to yield
.

hence can be regarded as the propagation velocity of an incremental discontinuity from ,

density X to X Moreover, since then

The necessary and sufficient condition for the occurrence of a discontinuity is related to the
shape of the sedimentation curve as follows

In other words a discontinuity can exists if the propagation velocity increases with density. This
implies that the function is concave towards the X axis. In practice this occurs when a
high-density layer propagating upward overtakes a slower low-density layer above it. Thus
eq. (12) a discontinuity can be detected by inspection batch sedimentation
curve. Discontinuous settling occurs for those concentration values for which the curve
is concave downwards, whereas there is continuous thickening when the curve is concave
upwards. If there is a point of inflexion at density the sedimentation will be discontinuous in
the region from the initial concentration (if to the point of
tangency whereas there will be continuous thickening from up to the concentra- tion
as shown in Fig. 1. Equation (15) also shows that the limiting flux can be
determined graphically as the point on the curve tangent to the horizontal line. If the incoming
sludge concentration is less than the suspension will settle discontinuously to and
then continuously to the final underflow concentration X,. If the underflow u is too large no
solution to eq. (15) exists and therefore no stable discontinuity can be sustained. This is the case
of Fig. 2.b where for all X implies thus the discontinuity is
not at rest but moves downward with velocity eventually vanishing at the clarifier bottom. In
this case the settler operates as a funnel, thickening sludge to a more limited extent, without
any limiting discontinuity.
 DYNAMIC MODELLING OF SEDIMENTATION 211

1. 5

20

Figure 1 Batch sedimentation curve and graphical determination of limiting (Xt) and final sludge concen-
trations.

ANALYTICAL FORM OF SEDIMENTATION

So far no special hypothesis was made as to the mathematical form of the sedimentation flux
and yet some general conclusions have been drawn, especially regarding conditions for
the existence of a discontinuity and its stability. Now an analytical expression for the
sedimentation flux is introduced. Among the many mathematical expressions which were
proposed in the literature the following exponential expression will be used in the sequel as it
was shown to be in good agreement with experimental

where is the limit sedimentation velocity for diluted suspensions and a is a

sedimentation parameter. This particular law was preferred to a power law as it yields better
results for low densities, although it may not lend itself to neat closed form solution as is the case
with a power Substituting expression (16) into the eq. (14) yields
7. 5

5. 0

2. 5 f l ux .
x

0. 0 I I
0 5 10 15 20
30

20

10

0
Figure 2 Continuous-flow sedimentation flux: a) Critical loading b) Underloading
 DYNAMIC OF SEDIMENTATION 213

F= + Xu (17)

The limiting concentration is obtained by vanishing the derivative of eq. (17) with respect
to x

The solution to eq. (18) is indeed a minimum since the second derivative

(19)

is always positive for which is the range in which a feasible solution is sought. In fact
the point X=2/a represents the inflexion point of the total flux curve and is independent of the
underflow u. Equation (18) has no analytical solution but can be solved numerically through an
iteration scheme where the k-th approximation is obtained as

X
k k- l k- l k- l

= x _ +
k- l k- l

The feasibility of the solution depends on the underflow u. In fact a consistent

solution exists if and only if is in the interval

(21)

Figure 3 shows the convergence of the iterative equation (20) for a choice of settling parameters
a and and an initial guess greater than the 2/a limit. By inspection r.h.s.
of eq. (20) it can be seen that for the only solution is which is not in the feasible
region, being less than the point X=2/a. From Fig. 3 it can be seen that one branch
of the corresponding curve (dotted line) is parallel to the line whereas the second intersects
this line for Likewise, for greater than the upper limit of interval (21) the
r.h.s. of eq. (20) does not intersects the 45” line and again no solution exists. This is consistent
with the qualitative reasoning of the previous section regarding the existence of a stable
discontinuity. In fact when eq. (20) converges to a solution this represents the concentration
of the interface. Substituting this value back into eq. (17) the limiting flux is determined.
As already stated, this represents the maximum stationary flux that the discontinuity can handle.
Finally, the stationary underflow sludge concentration can be determined considering that
at the bottom the total flux equals the bulk flux, i.e.
214 S. MARSILI-LIBELLI

20

15

10

0
20

Figure 3 Convergence scheme of the iterative equation (21).

= =

which yields

Tracy and made the assumption that the underflow concentration is not a dynamic
variable in its own right as it may be algebraically related to the underflow velocity u. In other
words it can follow immediately any change in u. However it is unrealistic to assume, and
unlikely to observe, that makes abrupt changes when the recycle is changed. Thus a lag can
be introduced in order to model the recycle concentration as a dynamic variable

dt
 DYNAMIC OF SEDIMENTATION 215

Figure 4 Activated sludge process scheme and zone partitioning of the settler.

So far the case of a stable interface was considered. This corresponds to a critically loaded
clarifier where the incoming flux equals the limiting flux through the interface. Keinath et
demonstrated that this condition is stable in the sense that whenever the recycle is changed the
system will tend to readjust the limiting flux in order to restore the equilibrium.
The overload and underload situations are now analyzed. To do this the clarifier is partitioned
in four operational zones, as in Fig. 4. The upper zone contains clarified water which flows over
the weir, the build-up zone absorbs the excess flux in case of overload, the storage zone is
where the discontinuous settling occurs and sludge mass is normally accumulated, whereas the
bottom zone is where thickening from to occurs. Now the two situations of underload
and overload are analyzed.

Underload: such a condition occurs when the withdrawal from the underflow is greater
than the limiting flux sustained by the discontinuity. In this case the u exceeds
the upper bound (21) and no solution to the limiting flux equation exists. This means that
for all X which implies that d Therefore the discontinuity is unstable and
subsides until it reaches the clarifier bottom. In this case no discontinuity exists and only
continuous sedimentation is possible, as shown in Fig. 2.b.

Overload: the opposite happens when the incoming flux exceeds the limiting flux In this
case the excess mass will accumulate between the feeding height and the thickening zone
forming a second layer of partially thickened sludge. This upper blanket will begin to rise and
it may eventually flow over the weir. To model this situation a mass balance above the
discontinuity yields

(25)

where the ascending flux is defined as the difference between the surging flux
216 S. MARSILI-LIBELLI

and the gravitational flux and may represent a net sludge build up

= = (26)

Substituting yields

+ r) [ + + 1 (27)

Equation (27) can then be solved in the only unknown to obtain the concentration in the
build-up layer. Again this can be done through an iterative procedure similar to that previously
used for the limiting flux To analyze its convergence properties eq. (27) can be rewritten in
the following iterative way

X( AF
X
k k - l- Q k- l
1)

where is the excess flux not being absorbed by the discontinuity. The rhs of eq.
(28) with AF as a parameter is plotted in Fig. 5 together with the 45” line and a sample

10

0 3 6 9 12 15

Figure 5 Convergence scheme of the iterative equation (28).

 DYNAMIC OF SEDIMENTATION 217

iteration path starting with Of course the analysis is restricted to positive values of AF,
since only in this case eq. (27) makes sense. It can be seen that the iterative scheme (28)
converges for any value of thus yielding a unique value for the sludge concentration in
the build-up zone X,,. This completes the description of the overload situation.

DYNAMIC BEHAVIOUR OF SEDIMENTATION

Having specified the general behaviour and the mathematical form of the sedimentation process,
it is now possible to incorporate this into a continuous-flow activated sludge process including
an oxidation stage and a secondary sedimentation. It should be stressed that biological growth of
the sludge mass is deliberately ignored here in order to demonstrate how the model describes
the sludge dynamics due to a mass transfer only. Of course in a fully operational working
model the sludge biodynamics consisting of growth and decay terms should be re-introduced.
In addition, no wastage from the settler underflow is considered. Hence the mass in the system
is assumed to be constant. With the nomenclature of Fig. 4 the following dynamic equations
can then be written

Oxidation

Neglecting sludge kinetics and indicating the sludge concentration in the aerator as a mass
balance yields the following dynamics

where V is the volume of the oxidation basin, Q is the process flow rate and is the
dilution rate.

Sedimentation

Assuming that the incoming mass enters the thickening zone and is immediately thickened to
a mass balance below the discontinuity yields the dynamics of the stored mass M

if (critical loading) then

+ r)

else if (overloading) then

1 + r) + (31)
218 S. MARSILI-LIBELLI

To demonstrate that model (29-30) is in agreement with the constant biomass assumption,
consider that

(32)

taking the time derivative, substituting the r.h.s. of eqs. (29-30) in place of and
and considering eq. (23) yields

(33)

In the case of critical loading the discontinuity is the regulating element in the loop and
is the mass transfer rate which the discontinuity can handle. In fact

and

(35)

eliminating yields

which coincides with eq. (23). Hence for a given flow Q the amount of mass circulating in the
system depends on the limiting flux and the recycle ratio r. Again the reader is warned that in
order to demonstrate the sludge movements due to sedimentation, this model deliberately
neglects sludge growth and assumes a constant mass in the system.

SLUDGE

The physical characteristics of the sludge influence its settling properties, which in turn
determine the overall dynamic behaviour. This dependence was already acknowledged in section
3 where the sedimentation velocity depended on two parameters and a). The question
arising now is whether any further relation can be established between settling behaviour and
overall sludge characteristics. In fact and are difficult to measure and though some
experimental evidence exists that they change very little in time, it would be desirable to rely on
some easily obtainable sludge index, possibly measurable on-line or at least frequently. The
most widely used sludge sedimentation parameter is the Sludge Volume Index (SVI) defined
as the ratio between the volume of sludge after 30 min
 DYNAMIC MODELLING OF SEDIMENTATION 219

sedimentation and its dry weight. Therefore SVI is expressed in ml This index was
criticized as being density dependent and the Specific Stirred Volume Index (SSVI) was
proposed instead. To determine SSVI the sludge concentration is normalized to a prescribed
value and the slurry is not at rest in the test jar, but is subject to a normalized (1 rpm) stirring. A
detailed description of the test equipment can be found in White”. The advantage of using SSVI
instead of SVI is thoroughly treated by Rachwal et where extensive data are supplied.
These were used to perform a linear regression between SSVI and the settling parameters
and obtaining a good degree of significance, as the high value of the correlation p shows

= 9.127-0.0366 SSVI = -0.9886 (37)

= SSVI = 0.9818 (38)

These relationships were determined dividing a total of 773 SSVI data into four groups
and using the average and a values for the regres- sions
(37-38). The question now arises as to what influences the settling characteristics.
states that they depend the loading conditions of the biological reactor, but gives no quantitative
relationship whereas Capodaglio et have proposed a linear relationship between SSVI and

SSVI = 145.99 27.72 (39)

This dependence was then extended to a dynamic relationship using predictive models based on
time series analysis and neural network models. Based on data both from literature and gathered
directly from medium-scale completely-mixed activated sludge plant, here an inverse relation
with the loading rate is used

with and numerical parameters. In the case of two medium-scale completely-mixed plants
processing domestic sewage with values between 0.1 and 0.3 the following numerical
values were found: and 1.4. This has some theoretical justification in the fact that
when the food is scarce, slow-growing filamentous bacteria, mainly respon- sible for poor
settling, take over because of their superior ability to reach for food. Microscopic examination
revealed that the presence of Sphaerotilus natans was highly correlated with low spells.
This was also noticed by Tsugura et al. while a similar relationship with phosphorus
content was obtained by Rachwal et al.“. Though and Chudoba et conclude
that no general relation can be established between SSVI and as this is not a primary factor
influencing filamentous bacterial growth, yet for com- pletely-mixed they show that for
medium-range values a relation such as eq. (40) can indeed be found. This can be related to
soluble degradable substrate input through an hyperbolic relation, as shown by
The importance of SSVI in this study is to model the sludge blanket height, i.e. the volume
taken up by a given mass of sludge. In fact
220 S. MARSILI-LIBELLI

Table 1 Process parameters

A 800 Settler surface

1200 Aeration tank volume
100 Process flow
r 0.25 recycle ratio
0.1 0.3 Loading factor
28.5 ml SSVI parameter
a2 11.4 SSVI parameter
0.5 concentration time constant

this is the most important secondary settler control parameter and the one which is most easily
monitored in terms of sludge blanket height. Since the model so far considers the accumulated
sludge M as a state variable, this can be related to the blanket height through a very simple
algebraic relation is used

where h is the sludge blanket height and a reference height, for example the top of the
thickening layer of Fig. 4. It should be remembered that once a SSVI values is obtained from eq.
(40) the settling parameters and are obtained through eqs. (37-38).

DYNAMIC MODEL BEHAVIOUR

In order to test the model behaviour three different situations were simulated as shown in Fig.
The process parameters used in the simulation are summarized in Table 1. Since the aim
of these simulations is to show the biomass movement in the systems, all biological side-
processes have been intentionally neglected and only mass displacements are consid- ered. As
already discussed in Sect. 4 this is an acceptable approximation in the short term, but in the
long term biological growth does represent a major contribution to sludge dynamics and cannot
be neglected. In the first example a step variation of the process flow Q was introduced and
the effect of biomass concentration and accumulated sludge is shown in Fig. 6 with r being
kept constant. An asymmetric behaviour is apparent, with a faster response for the increasing
flow. It can be seen that the step flow perturbation produces a net build-up in accumulated
mass. This could be eliminated by increasing the recycle and/or wastage or allowing for long
term sludge compression, which this model does not take into account. Since is constant, the
sludge blanket height is proportional to the accumulated mass and follows the same behaviour.
Due to the difficulty in accommodating the abrupt flow increase there is a short period of
overload at the leading edge flow step. Likewise, the sludge concentration in the aeration
tank decreases due to hydraulic dilution and so does the return sludge X,. The simulation of
Fig. 7 shows how the system responds to changes in the recycle ratio r. At the beginning of the
simulation the recycle is quickly decreased and then slowly increased again. In the beginning a
short overload occurs as the critical flux corresponding to the new recycle is not large enough
to accommodate the incoming mass.
 DYNAMIC MODELLING OF SEDIMENTATION

. ...
....
o- .........

Overload Q
1
1 ............
0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Time
Figure 6 Simulation of an input flow step change from 100 to 200

20 -8

5-

-0

1
1

50 10 0 15 0 20 0 25 0
Time
Figure 7 Effect of recycle variations on the process conditions.
222 S. MARSILI-LIBELLI

130

i
110

90

70
0. 5

50 100 150 200 250

Ti me
Figure 8 Influence of loading rate variations on Specific Stirred Volume Index (SSVI) and Sludge blanket
height (Sbh).

Soon after the settler adjusts itself to the new condition and normal operation is resumed.
The fact that an overloaded settler can spontaneously turn into a critical one is a consequence
constant mass assumption. In fact the high input condition causing the overload cannot
be sustained for long because the recycle concentration decreases as a consequence of the
reduced recycle, causing the incoming sludge concentration to decrease. Eventually an
equilibrium is reached and the system settles again at a new value corresponding to the new
critical loading condition. Lastly, Fig. 8 shows the Sludge blanket height (Sbh) dependence from
the loading rate through the Specific Stirred Volume Index (SSVI). During the simulation
was first increased and then decreased again. The upper part of Fig. 8 shows how this reflects
on the variation of SSVI through the settling parameter (the variations of a were negligible).
Given the rather high uncertainty and the variability of the loading rate, a random fluctuation
was superimposed to the deterministic variations. It can be seen that the effect of this
disturbance is more pronounced for low values of which cause the highest variation of the
sludge blanket height.

CONCLUSION

The dynamic behaviour of the secondary settler was relying on the theory
and taking into account the interaction with the oxidation tank. In this analysis the influence
 DYNAMIC MODELLING OF SEDIMENTATION 223

ofbiological factors such as sludge growth due to microbial activity was deliberately omitted in
order to show the role of mass transfer and limiting flux. Under this hypothesis the paper first
considers the structural properties of the model, then assesses its numerical behaviour in
describing the dynamics of the three possible loading conditions of the secondary settler (critical,
overload, underload) in a unified conceptual basis. Relying on physical evidence and
parameters drawn the literature or obtained through direct experimentation, some
simulations were produced to show that the model was capable of describing a number of
different practical situations. Thus it can assist in the design of control strategies for the
 biomass in the activated sludge system.

Acknowledgement

This research was partly supported by the Ministry of University and Scientific and
Technological Research (MURST) under contract as part of the research
project of national interest entitled “dynamic of ecosystems”.

References

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design and Eng. Div., ASCE, Vol. 103, No. EE5: 829-849.
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NOMENCLATURE

A = Settler surface
= SVI parameter (ml
= SVI parameter
F = Total sedimentation flux (g
= Bulk flux due to recycle (g
= Loading rate (Kg BOD Kg
= Limiting flux (critical loading) (g
= Ascending flux (g
h = Sludge blanket height (m)
M = Total accumulated mass in the thickening zone (Kg)
= Specific accumulated mass (Kg m”)
Q = Process flow
r = Recycle ratio
SVI = Sludge Volume Index (ml
SSVI = Specific Stirred Volume Index (ml
= Sludge concentration in the aeration tank (g
= Steady-state recycle sludge concentration (g
= Recycle sludge concentration (g
= Limit sludge concentration at the discontinuity (g
= Sludge concentration in the build-up zone (g
u = Downdraft velocity due to bulk flux (cm
V = Aeration tank volume
= Limit sedimentation velocity (cm
= Upward propagation velocity (cm
a = Sedimentation parameter (1
= Aeration tank dilution rate
= Underflow concentration time constant