THE DESIGN OF SEWAGE-SLUDGE PUMPING SYSTEMS

A project has recently been undertaken to improve the way in which sew age sludge pipeline systems are designed. A new, more accurate method of calculating pressure losses has been developed which replaces the t raditional empirical formulae. The technique uses Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) together with the Generalised Bingham Plastic Model to describe the sludge theology. Improvements have also been made to how the viscometry data is measured and processed. The method has successf ully been verified against experimental data and validated against sit e measurements. Design issues have been addressed and presented in a s imple design methodology. Overall, the work has had considerable succe ss, as demonstrated by the fact that the technique is currently being used to design major capital investment schemes.