Media Release

26 Jun 2008

World-best model helps manage corrosion in sewers

An Australian research project, led by partners Gold Coast Water, Sydney Water and the University of Queensland's Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC), was today awarded the East Asia and Pacific Regional IWA Project Innovation Award in the category of Applied Research.

This prestigious award, announced at a special awards ceremony in Singapore, was presented for a three-year collaborative research project which led to the development of a model-based tool that helps achieve better management of odour and corrosion in wastewater systems.

In a world first, it is now possible to accurately predict the spread and concentration of hydrogen sulphide along sewerage networks that have pressure mains, using a kinetics-based, flow dependent model. The project also led to the development of new online monitoring instrumentation.

Project Leader, Professor Zhiguo Yuan of the AWMC said, "This research has led to the development of a powerful model that characterises the in-sewer biological, chemical and physical processes.

"It provides strong support to the water industry in predicting pipe sections that are most vulnerable to corrosion or odour problems, and in identifying the most cost-effective mitigation strategies."

Gold Coast City Council's Water Management Committee Chair, Councillor Daphne McDonald, believes the implementation of this model will deliver significant business improvements. "Using this model has already enhanced Gold Coast water's management of corrosion and odour issues within our wastewater network.

"Since its inception, we have been able to clearly identify corrosion in our wastewater pipes, allowing us to perform more targeted wastewater network inspections.

"This model has already enabled the optimisation of our existing sulphide control strategy generating savings of $1.3 million. In addition, we estimate further reductions to our future wastewater maintenance costs of up to 10 per cent each year which is a significant saving."

Sydney Water Managing Director Kerry Schott agreed that application of the model by Australian water utilities is expected to yield major cost savings, along with social and environmental benefits.

"Managing hydrogen sulphide given off by wastewater is an involved and costly process. Dissolved hydrogen sulphide and other volatile organic compounds cause corrosion and sometimes odour problems.

"Using this model, and new online monitoring, enables better management of hydrogen sulphide levels in wastewater to improve the reliability of odour abatement. Environmental benefits include fewer hazardous gases and a reduction in chemicals used to prevent sulphide formation.

"Even a conservative one per cent improvement in Sydney Water's costs of rehabilitation of wastewater pipes spells a minimum cost saving of $850,000 each year from this project technology," Dr Schott said.

Stage Two of this research project is due to commence in mid-2008 and will see similar research conducted for gravity-fed wastewater networks and further development of the model. Given the success of the first stage, Stage Two will include a wider range of project partners - including seven Australian water authorities, international consultants and world-leading scientists.

The project will now compete with the regional winners from Europe and North America for an international award, which will be announced in September at the World Water Congress in Vienna, Austria.

 

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