Standard Aeration

Efficiency
SAE

Wastewater Technology
 We remember that……...
Aeration
2%
Only 5% of the cost of
Other E&M
the construction of
40%
WWTP is related to the
Civil Work
55%
Aeration system
Compressor
3%

Aeration
80%
BUT up to 80% of the Energy
Consumption in the plant is
related to the Aeration
system Pumping
10%
Misc.systems Sludge
1% handling
9%

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 Oxygen Transfer

SOTR [kgO2/h] = Standard Oxygen Transfer Rate

Mass of oxygen per unit time dissolved in a volume

of clean water by an oxygen transfer system
operating under standard condions:

Water temperature = 20°C

Barometric pressure = 101,3 kPa

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 Aeration Efficiency

SAE [kgO2/kWh] = Standard Aeration Efficiency

SOTR per unit total power input

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SAE values of different Aeration Systems
Aeration Systems w/o pressurised air
Surface Aeration kgO2/kWh
z Slow speed shaft turbines
z High speed shaft turbine 0,7 – 1,7
z Brush aerators
Pump Based Systems
z Venturi Jet 0,5 – 0,9
Submersible Systems
z Turbines 0,6 – 1,15

Wastewater Technology
SAE values of different Aeration Systems

Aeration Systems using pressurised air

kgO2/kWh
z Coarse bubble diffusers 0,7 – 2,0
z Fine bubble diffusers 2,5 – 5,0

z Submersible aerators 2,0 – 3,0

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 Factors affecting SAE

z SOTE – Standard Oxygen Transfer Efficiency:

The lower the SOTE the higher the energy consumption

z Head loss of the aeration system:

Local and distributed losses in the system increase the
backpressure and therefore the energy consumption

z Efficiency of the blower

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