Computer model for analysis and determination of energy self-sufficiency in wastewater treatment plants

Technical Report · Tue Oct 30 04:00:00 EST 1979

OSTI ID:5086794

Carson, J R

A computer model was developed which performs the following calculations: estimates the gas flow rate and energy available from anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge; calculates electrical and thermal energies producible by burning the available digester gas in a recuperated gas turbine engine; established theoretical potential for energy self-sufficiency in both electricity and steam usage by comparing the energy producable to the energy demands of plant; and calculates rate of return and straightline payback for an investment in a cogeneration system at a given treatment plant. The computer model was tested at two wastewater plants in California. The results show that the computer model described provides a tool to determine whether any selected wastewater treatment plant has the theoretical potential to become energy self-sufficient with acceptable accuracy. The answer for the two plants used for model verification is no - at least not with current energy use patterns. However, the increasing use of energy-intensive secondary biological treatment, combined with sharply increasing power prices, may speed the utilization of energy production on-site by wastewater treatment processes, thereby enabling the typical plant to come closer to fulfilling its own energy requirements.

• Research Organization: Energy Research and Applications, Inc., El Segundo, CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: FG05-79ER10088
• OSTI ID: 5086794
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/10088-T1; ON: DE82021991
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

090100 -- Hydrocarbon Fuels-- (-1989)
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
42 ENGINEERING
420900* -- Engineering-- Waste Processing Plants & Equipment-- (-1989)
ACCOUNTING
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
BIOCONVERSION
CALORIFIC VALUE
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
COMBUSTION PROPERTIES
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DEMAND
DIGESTION
ENERGY ACCOUNTING
ENERGY ANALYSIS
ENERGY DEMAND
FLUIDS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
MANAGEMENT
MUNICIPAL WASTES
OXIDATION
POWER GENERATION
PROCESSING
PRODUCTION
SIMULATION
STEAM GENERATION
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTE PROCESSING PLANTS
WASTES