CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive

16 May 2012

Implementation Investments

ANSYS CFD technology and simulation expertise provided to wastewater treatment facility

SimuTech recently completed a series of sophisticated analyses of wastewater flow at the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant that serves the greater Cleveland, Ohio area. SimuTech was contracted by Burgess & Niple, a civil engineering firm, to help determine the impact and potential improvement of proposed changes to the plant’s grit removal system.

SimuTech consulting engineers Michael Showalter and Mark Goodin performed computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations using ANSYS CFX® software. The project was comprised of three phases. Showalter said, “The first phase of the CFD analysis for the Southerly project was to model the water flow through the grit tanks under both nominal and peak flow conditions. The objective of this analysis was to determine the water level in the grit tanks for both flow conditions with the proposed new flow baffling.  It was very important to ensure that inclusion of the flow baffles did not reduce the maximum water capacity of the tanks.”

The second phase involved modeling wastewater flow through a single grit tank with proposed air injection nozzles and flow baffles installed. The CFD model was used to determine the required air flow from the nozzles to reach the desired rotational flow in the grit tank. The simulations also revealed that one of the proposed flow baffles actually impeded the rotational flow and could be removed resulting in a $70,000 cost savings.

The third phase of the CFD analysis used the air injection conditions determined from phase two and released small and large grit particles into the waste water flow upstream of the grit tank. The CFD simulation tracked the path of these particles as they flowed through the grit tank system and predicted the removal rates of various sized particles.  The conclusion was that the predicted removal rates met the design goals.

As a result of using CFD technology, the Burgess & Niple team realized a $70,000 savings to the Southerly project. Carl Seifried, P.E. Burgess & Niple Project Manager, noted, “The simulations showed that we could eliminate one of the originally proposed flow baffles. The ability to visualize ‘what-if’ scenarios before constructing and testing the grit tank modifications saved both time and considerable expenses.”

About SimuTech Group
SimuTech Group, Inc. is North America’s largest full-service provider of ANSYS engineering simulation software for finite element analysis (FEA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). SimuTech also resells and supports Autodesk® Moldflow® for plastics injection molding, TOSCA Structure for topology, shape and durability optimization, TOSCA Fluid for optimization of internal flows, and fe-safe for fatigue analysis. Headquartered in Rochester, NY, the company has 10 offices in North America. For more information, go to www.SimuTechGroup.com

About Burgess & Niple
For 100 years, Burgess & Niple (B&N) has led the development of infrastructure in rural and urban regions. The firm’s success is driven by a passion for advancing the built environment with exceptional concern for quality of life, safety, and sustainability.

B&N’s team of in-house professional includes planners, engineers, architects, environmental scientists, geologists, and much more. Its work spans the world and ranges from complex, urban renewal projects to finding potable water for arid, rural villages.

Burgess & Niple currently ranks 138th on Engineering News-Record’s list of Top 500 design firms in the U. S. based on 2011 total billings. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, B&N has 20 offices across the nation. For more information, go to www.burgessniple.com

 

Become a member of the CIMdata PLM Community to receive your daily PLM news and much more.

Tell us what you think of the CIMdata Newsletter. Send your feedback.

CIMdata is committed to your privacy. Your personal information will never be sold or shared outside of CIMdata without your express permission.

Subscribe