Lessons Learned from Ozone Contactor Tracer Testing at Little Falls Water Treatment Plant 2015 AWWA NJ Annual Conference Wednesday, March 18, 2015 Agenda Project Background Tracer Test Overview ─ Protocol Development ─ Protocol Modifications Tracer Test Results Findings and Recommendations Project Background Little Falls Water Treatment Plant Source: Passaic River ─ Occasionally Pompton River or Point View Reservoir Process: ─ Sand-ballasted sedimentation process, ozonation and granular activated carbon and sand filters, and chlorination Ozone Contactor Ozone Contactor Sections Tracer Test Overview Purpose of Tracer Tests New Jersey Administrative Code 7:10-9.5a [7:10-11]: ─ …the tracer study evaluation report prepared as recommended in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Guidance Manual for Compliance with the Filtration and Disinfection Requirements for Public Water Systems Using Surface Water Sources" (dated March 1991) as amended and supplemented, shall be submitted …… Determine hydraulic baffling factor (T10/HDT) ─ T10 is defined as the detention time at which 90 percent of the water passing through a contact vessel is retained within the reservoir ─ T10 is to consider it as the detention time that is equal, or exceeded by, 90 percent of the fluid passing through the contactor. Tracer Test Step-Dose Method ─ Constant dosage until steady-state concentration The results are used for modifying the ideal hydraulic detention time to reflect the nonidealities of the actual flow patterns for use when performing calculations for determining disinfection performance. Effective Contact Time (T) = HDT * (T10/HDT) Comparison of SWTR Requirements and LFWTP Tracer Test Plan U.S. EPA SWTR Guidance Manual Requirement At least 4 flow rates that span the entire range of flow rates of the process being tested. The flow rate should be not less than 91 percent of the maximum rated flow for the process being tested. LFWTP Tracer Testing Plan Two flow rates, ~18 mgd and ~28 mgd, were tested on each of the four ozone contactors. (flow rates typically vary from 17 to 28 mgd per contactor). ~28 mgd was selected as one of the two test flow rates. 28 mgd is > 91 percent of the maximum flow, 29.25 mgd. Tracer testing should be performed at a constant process flow rate wherever possible. The water surface in a process being tested should be at or slightly below the minimum normal operating level for the process. Tracer addition and sampling should be continued for a period of two to three times the theoretical detention time. Tracer should be applied at the point of application for the disinfectant to be used in the CT calculations whenever possible, or as close as possible to this point. Tracer testing was performed at a constant process flow rate. The water surface was at the normal operating level for the respective flow rates, and thus would remain relatively constant during each tracer test period. Tracer addition and sampling was continued for a period of three times the theoretical detention time. Tracer response should be measured at the sampling point for disinfectant residual whenever possible, or as close as practical to this point. The tracer to be used should be conservative (nonreactive) through the unit process being tested, and added at a concentration of at least 10 times the background concentration. Tracer was measured at the end of cells 2, 4, 6, and 8 where online sampling currently measures ozone residual. Tracer was added at the effluent channel of the clarifiers, upstream of where ozone will be introduced in Cell 1. Fluoride in the form of hydrofluosilicic acid (H2SiF6) with a target feed rate of 2.5 milligrams per liter (mg/L) as fluoride was used as the tracer. Fluoride Dosing Location Dosing Point – Existing Chlorine Injection Line Steady-state concentration not met Fluoride Dosing Location Dosing Point Revised – Actiflo Effluent Tracer Test Results Tracer Study Plots Dimensionless time and fractional fluoride concentrations were plotted. Tracer Testing Summary Table Test Date Average Flow Contactor Rate (mgd) Max Fluoride Concentration in Plant Effluent (mg/L) 4/26/13 1 17.8 0.24 3/13/13 1 27.8 0.37 4/11/13 2 18.1 0.35 4/10/13 2 28.0 0.35 4/26/13 3 18.2 0.24 4/17/13 3 27.7 0.36 4/17/13 4 18.1 0.36 4/22/13 4 27.9 0.35 Lag Time Adjustment (min) 5.3 3.4 3.4 2.2 2.3 1.5 1.8 1.2 T50/HDT Ratios T50/HDT ratios for ~18 mgd Tests Cell 2 4 6 8 Contactor 1 0.94 1.10 1.00 1.05 Contactor 2 1.04 1.03 1.02 1.00 Contactor 3 1.00 0.98 1.00 1.02 T50/HDT ratios for ~28 mgd Tests Cell 2 4 6 8 Contactor 1 1.17 1.25 1.08 1.12 Contactor 2 1.20 1.13 1.12 1.03 Contactor 3 1.12 1.13 1.08 1.02 Contactor 4 1.00 1.00 0.97 0.99 Contactor 4 0.98 1.10 1.00 1.03 T50/HDT Ratios Results In an ideal plug flow reactor, fractional concentrations of 0.5 (T50/HDT) should occur at dimensionless time of 1.0. Ozone contactors should be considered rectangular tubular reactors with axial dispersion in an open system – non-ideal plug flow. The further away the T50/HDT ratio is from 1.0 indicates more mixing in the flow pattern entering the ozone contactors. T10/HDT Ratios T10/HDT ratios for ~18 mgd Tests Cell 2 4 6 8 Contactor 1 0.30 0.50 0.54 0.57 Contactor 2 0.44 0.50 0.58 0.53 Contactor 3 0.43 0.58 0.54 0.60 T10/HDT ratios for ~28 mgd Tests Cell 2 4 6 8 Contactor 1 0.40 0.63 0.67 0.63 Contactor 2 0.55 0.61 0.60 0.58 Contactor 3 0.53 0.61 0.64 0.61 Contactor 4 0.45 0.58 0.53 0.54 Contactor 4 0.50 0.58 0.58 0.59 T10/HDT Ratios Results More uniform flow through the system at higher flow rates. Contactors 2, 3, and 4 behave similarly because their T10/HDT ratios for cells 2, 4, 6 and 8 are similar. The T10/HDT ratio for Cell 2 of Contactor 1 is significantly lower than that for Cell 2 in the other contactors. This is attributed to short-circuiting in Cell 2 caused by the north tunnel. The longer distance of conduit and channels leading to Contactor 1, combined with the abruptly changing geometry of the influent channels, exacerbated these differences in Contactor 1. Findings and Recommendations Recommendations It is standard industry practice to use only one value for the T10/HDT ratio. USEPA’s Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2ESWTR) Guidance Manual (USEPA 2010) recommends the following: ─ a minimum of two tracer tests be conducted (the tracer tests used two different flow rates). ─ data be used from the test that demonstrates the greatest “spread” (i.e., dispersion or variance) in the tracer. ─ data from one contactor may to be applied to all contactors, but it does not rule out using data from more than one contactor. Final Recommendation AT10/HDT ratio of 0.56 is recommended for used for the LFWTP ozone contactors based on the following: ─ 0.56 is the average value for Cells 4, 6, and 8 as determined in the low flow (~18 mgd) tests, which showed the greatest spread in the tracer ─ The 0.56 value is for Cell 6 in the low flow tests (~18 mgd), which is the end of the contactor for practical purposes for ozone since that is the location of the last ozone monitor used for disinfection credit ─ The average is used because data may be used from more than one contactor, and the Cell 6 minimum value (0.54) was very close to the average (0.56) A T10/HDT ratio of 0.60 has historically been used for the LFWTP ozone contactors per USEPA guidance. Questions
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