US-12623938-B2 - Systems and methods for creating and segmenting treatment processes

US12623938B2US 12623938 B2US12623938 B2US 12623938B2US-12623938-B2

Abstract

Systems and methods for enabling dynamic volumetric transitioning and segmentation of treatment conditions are disclosed. Such treatment conditions may include, by way of example, systems and methods for dynamically transitioning treatment environments within a reactor for activated sludge treatment processes. Such environments may include anaerobic, anoxic, fermentation, suboxic, and aerobic environments.

Inventors

Sarah O. Elger
David D. Lauer
John Edward Koch, III

Assignees

ENVIROMIX, INC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240418

Claims (20)

1 . A system for a treatment process of wastewater comprising: a reactor system comprising one or more reactors, a plurality of sub-volumes within the reactor system having at least one of (i) one or more mixing devices, and (ii) one or more of aerators wherein at least one of the plurality of sub-volumes constitutes a flexible environment configured to dynamically transition some or all of that sub-volume between two or more of anaerobic, anoxic, fermentation, suboxic, and aerobic environments, and wherein the flexible environment comprises (i) the one or more mixing devices and (ii) the one or more aerators, wherein the mixing devices and the aerators in the flexible environment are arranged in an overlapping proximity to permit providing coinciding mixing and aeration, respectively, to the wastewater within the flexible environment, and one or more controllers for controlling the mixing devices and the aerators, wherein the one or more controllers are configured for selectively and independently controlling the one or more mixing devices within the flexible environment and for selectively and independently controlling the one or more aerators within the flexible environment.
2 . The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more controllers are configured to transition the flexible environment from one environment to another environment by (i) selective activation and deactivation of one or more mixing devices within the flexible environment of the reactor system independent of activation and deactivation of mixing devices positioned within other sub-volumes of the reactor system and (ii) selective activation and deactivation of one or more aerators positioned within the flexible environment of the reactor system independent of aerators positioned within other sub-volumes of the reactor system.
3 . The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more controllers are configured to activate or deactivate aerators in the flexible environment based upon one or more of aerobic solids retention time, total solids retention time, and mean cell residence time necessary to maintain complete nitrification based upon water temperature.
4 . The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more controllers are configured to provide an anoxic environment to the wastewater in the flexible environment based upon one or more of the total nitrogen, nitrate, total phosphorus, orthophosphorus, and ammonia effluent requirements of the wastewater based upon water temperature.
5 . The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more controllers are configured to provide an environment in the sub-volume of wastewater in the flexible environment based upon one or more of influent flow rate and influent load.
6 . The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more controllers are configured to provide an environment in the sub-volume of wastewater in the flexible environment based upon one or more of time of day, time of year, diurnal flow/load fluctuations, weekly flow/load fluctuations, monthly flow/load fluctuations, annual flow/load fluctuations, seasonal flow/load fluctuations, initial start-up versus design flow/load fluctuations, and combinations thereof.
7 . The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more controllers are configured to provide an environment in the flexible environment that is a same environment as at least one adjacent sub-volume in the reactor system.
8 . The system of claim 1 wherein the flexible environment is capable of providing a plurality of flexible sub-environments.
9 . The system of claim 1 wherein a first volume of the flexible environment has a first flexible sub-environment, and a second volume of the flexible environment has a second flexible sub-environment, wherein the first flexible sub-environment and the second flexible sub-environment are distinct.
10 . The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more mixing devices are configured to provide vertical mixing.
11 . The system of claim 1 wherein the flexible environment is not bounded by any internal physical barriers.
12 . The system of claim 1 wherein the reactor system does not comprise any internal physical barriers within the flexible environment.
13 . The system of claim 1 comprising a plurality of flexible environments.
14 . The system of claim 1 wherein sub-volumes that do not constitute a flexible environment each have an environment independently selected from the group consisting of an anaerobic, anoxic, fermentation, suboxic, and aerobic environment.
15 . The system of claim 1 further comprising alternative internal recycle source locations and discharge locations wherein the one or more controllers is configured to activate and deactivate one or more of an internal recycle source and a discharge location.
16 . A control system for wastewater treatment systems comprising a plurality of environments within a reactor system, the system comprising: one or more controllers configured to independently and selectively control a first set of mixing devices positioned within a flexible environment of the reactor system and to independently and selectively control a first set of aerators positioned in overlapping proximity to permit providing coinciding mixing and aeration, respectively, with the first set of mixing devices within flexible environment so as to provide a first environment within at least a portion of the flexible environment wherein the first environment is a fermentation, suboxic, aerobic, anoxic, or anaerobic environment, wherein the one or more controllers is further configured to independently and selectively control the first set of mixing devices and to independently and selectively control the first set of aerators so as to dynamically transition at least a portion of the flexible environment from the first environment to a distinct second environment, wherein the distinct second environment is a fermentation, suboxic, aerobic, anoxic, or anaerobic environment, and wherein the one or more controllers is further configured to control one or more additional sets of mixing devices or one or more additional sets of aerators positioned within one or more additional sub-volumes of wastewater, wherein the one or more controller is configured to control such additional sets of mixing devices and additional sets of aerators separately from the first set of mixing devices and the first set of aerators to provide one or more fermentation, suboxic, aerobic, anoxic, or anaerobic environments within the one or more additional sub-volumes.
17 . The control system of claim 16 wherein the one or more controllers is configured to control the first set of mixing devices and the first set of aerators so as to dynamically transition a portion of the flexible environment from the first environment to the distinct second environment, wherein the distinct second environment is a fermentation, suboxic, aerobic, anoxic, or anaerobic environment, and wherein the one or more controllers is further configured to control the location or locations to which internal recycle is introduced into a reactor of the reactor system, and wherein the activation, deactivation, and control of the locations are based upon one or more of an aerobic solids retention time; total solids retention time; mean cell residence time necessary to maintain complete nitrification based upon water temperature; nitrogen, nitrate, phosphorus, orthophosphorus, and/or ammonia effluent requirements of the wastewater based upon water temperature; influent flow rate, influent load or time of day or time of year; diurnal flow/load fluctuations, weekly flow/load fluctuations, monthly flow/load fluctuations, annual flow/load fluctuations, seasonal flow/load fluctuations, or initial start-up versus design flow/load fluctuations; and combinations thereof.
18 . The control system of claim 16 wherein the controller is configured to control the first set of mixing devices and the first set of aerators so as to provide the first environment to a first portion of the flexible environment and to provide a distinct other environment to a second portion of the flexible environment, wherein the first environment and the distinct other environment are each selected independently from the group consisting of a fermentation, suboxic, aerobic, anoxic, or anaerobic environment.
19 . A method for treating wastewater within a reactor system containing a volume of the wastewater wherein the reactor system includes a first set of a plurality of mixing devices and a first set of a plurality of aerators, the method comprising: independently and selectively controlling a first set of the plurality mixing devices positioned within a first sub-volume of wastewater in the reactor system, independently and selectively controlling a first set of the plurality of aerators positioned in overlapping proximity with the first set of the plurality of mixing devices within the first sub-volume of wastewater in the reactor system to permit providing coinciding mixing and aeration, respectively, to the wastewater within the flexible environment, wherein the independent and selective control of the first set of the plurality mixing devices and the first set of the plurality of aerators disposed within the first sub-volume of wastewater in the reactor system is independent of any activation or deactivation of the first set of the plurality of mixing devices and the plurality of aerators positioned within other sub-volumes of the reactor system, wherein one or more of the first set of mixing devices and the first set of aerators are independently and selectively controlled to provide a dynamic transition of an environment of the flexible environment from a fermentation, suboxic, aerobic, anoxic, or anaerobic environments to a distinct environment selected from one the group consisting of a fermentation, suboxic, aerobic, anoxic, and anaerobic environments.
20 . The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of controlling one or more of an internal recycle source location and an internal recycle discharge location or locations, wherein the activation, deactivation, and control of the location or locations are in response to one or more of an aerobic solids retention time; total solids retention time; mean cell residence time necessary to maintain complete nitrification based upon water temperature; nitrogen, nitrate, phosphorus, orthophosphorus, and/or ammonia effluent requirements of the wastewater based upon water temperature; influent flow rate, influent load or time of day or time of year; diurnal flow/load fluctuations, weekly flow/load fluctuations, monthly flow/load fluctuations, annual flow/load fluctuations, seasonal flow/load fluctuations, and/or initial start-up versus design flow/load fluctuations; and combinations thereof.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/394,716, filed Aug. 5, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to systems and methods for enabling dynamic transitioning and segmentation of volumes within a treatment environment with a reactor or containment unit. Such treatment environments may include, by way of example, anaerobic, anoxic, aerobic environments and any combinations thereof. BACKGROUND Methods for creating discrete anaerobic, anoxic, and aerobic environments are known in the art. Such methods may include reactor volumes fixed by temporary or permanent walls, baffles, barriers, or curtains including the operation of independent mixing and aeration equipment or aerated mixing equipment. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention includes systems and methods as described herein. In one embodiment, the present invention includes a system for a treatment process of wastewater. The system may include a reactor unit having a volume, a plurality of mixing devices disposed within the reactor, a plurality of aerators disposed within the reactor, and one or more controllers for selectively controlling the mixing devices and the aerators. In addition, the system includes a plurality of sub-volumes within the reactor unit wherein each sub-volume includes at least one of (i) one or more of the plurality mixing devices of the plurality of mixing, and (ii) one or more of aerators of the plurality of aerators. Within the system, at least one of the plurality of sub-volumes constitutes a flexible environment configured to dynamically transition some or all of that volume between two or more of anaerobic, anoxic, fermentation, suboxic, and aerobic environments. In another embodiment, the present invention includes a control system for wastewater treatment systems comprising a plurality of environments within a reactor having a volume of wastewater. In such embodiments, the controller is configured to activate and deactivate a first set of mixing devices positioned within a first sub-volume of wastewater and to activate and deactivate a first set of aerators positioned within the first sub-volume of wastewater so as to provide a first environment within the first sub-volume of wastewater. The first environment may be a fermentation, suboxic, aerobic, anoxic, or anaerobic environment. In addition, the controller is configured to activate and deactivate the first set of mixing devices and the first set of aerators so as to dynamically transition at least a portion of the first sub-volume of wastewater from the first environment to a distinct second environment, wherein the second environment is a fermentation, suboxic, aerobic, anoxic, or anaerobic environment. The controller also is configured to control one or more additional sets of mixing devices and/or one or more additional sets of aerators positioned within one or more additional sub-volumes of wastewater. Such additional sets of mixing devices and additional sets of aerators may be activated and deactivated separately from the first set of mixing devices and the first set of aerators to provide one or more fermentation, suboxic, aerobic, anoxic, or anaerobic environments within the additional sub-volumes. In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for treating wastewater within a reactor unit containing a volume of the wastewater wherein the reactor includes a first set of a plurality of mixing devices and a first set of a plurality of aerators. The method includes selectively activating and deactivating a first set of the plurality mixing devices positioned within a first sub-volume of wastewater in the reactor and also selectively activating and deactivating a first set of the plurality of aerators positioned within the first sub-volume of wastewater in the reactor. The selective activation and deactivation of the first set of the plurality mixing devices and the first set of the plurality of aerators disposed within the first sub-volume of wastewater in the reactor is independent of any activation or deactivation of the plurality of mixing devices and the plurality of aerators positioned within other sub-volumes of the reactor. In addition, the first set of the plurality mixing devices and the first set of aeration devices are activated and deactivated to provide a dynamic transition of the environment of the first sub-volume from a fermentation, suboxic, aerobic, anoxic, or anaerobic environments to a distinct environment selected from one the group consisting of a fermentation, suboxic, aerobic, anoxic, and anaerobic environments. The present invention may be better understood by reference to the description and figures that follow. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the specific details as set forth in the following description and figures. The inventio