Pump Operation and Control in Wastewater Systems

Dear Colleagues,

Wastewater transport via pumps is indispensable in nearly all urban drainage systems and wastewater treatment plants. Accordingly, operation and maintenance of pumps is a central task  wastwater operators, worldwide. The specifics of wastewater systems introduce various, partly conflicting performance requirements to pump layout and control, e.g. robustness and failure-free operation versus energy efficiency. Bridging these virtually contradicting requirements by a better systems analysis, smart design and clever control rules is a key challenge. Mostly, pumping stations are not operating alone but are part of a larger networks and cannot be regarded without their upstream and downstream system. This refers to both, the impact of the catchment on wastewater flow and composition and the interacting urban drainage system itself. Holistic pump control  has to consider the influence of and on multiple processes and subsystem (in-sewer processes, overflow, wastewater treatment, energy demand, maintenance), making it a multidimensional optimization task. In the last decade, opportunities for advanced control strategies have been significantly improved. Consequent process oriented investigation deliver a more differenced view on wastewater composition and transport/transformation processes. Practical implementations of pump control and mitigation measures for typical operational problems (like clogging, sedimentation, hydrogen sulfide formation, fat and grease) are a valuable source for critical analysis and lessons learned. Doing so, the systems scope should also be widened to socio-economic factors and capacity building ensuring a resilient and sustainable operation of wastewater pumping systems. The increasing availability of continuous operational data in combination with process models and artificial intelligence enable for a deeper insight, better forecast and situational control.

A further issue is the embedding of wastewater pumps in an overall energy management with regard to the increasing dynamics of power production by renewables (wind, PV, heat, hydropower). Depending on the local situation pumps may play a role in equalizing production and demand or even used for energy supply in favorable conditions. Last not least; in threshold and developing countries pump operation and with that wastewater treatment is still restricted  by limited energy supply. Best practices and constructive assessment of wastewater pumping stations purely driven by renewables can provide serious input for achieving the SDG 6 “clean water and sanitation”. 

Prof. Dr. Jens Tränckner
Guest Editor

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• failure analysis and mitigation
• multi-criterial control strategies
• integrated pump control
• transport and transformation processes in pressure pipe systems
• pumps and energy
• monitoring, data-management
• innovative computational methods