Smarter planet Smarter water monitoring

Smarter planet Smarter water monitoring

Author : Wendy Wu, PhD student. Her host university is The University of Sheffield and her project, ‘Microwave sensing of turbulent flow processes for intelligent drainage monitoring and management’ is sponsored by Dynamic Flow Technologies Ltd (DFT), Network Rail and Environmental Monitoring Solutions Ltd (EMS).

About me, About the project.

I am a first-year PhD student based in the University of Sheffield with mechanical engineering background especially in fluid mechanics and numerical analysis. My research topic is ‘Microwave sensing of turbulent flow processes for intelligent drainage monitoring and management’. The need to accurately monitor flows within large drainage system is an emerging challenge. Driven by the effects of urbanisation, population growth and climate change that alter the hydraulic load on drainage assets.

The modelling and measurement of the hydraulic flow conditions in rivers and open channels are of great importance for the forecasting of flood risks, the study of sediment transport, and for the conservation and enhancement of riverine habitat. Traditionally, wastewater collection and drainage collection transport in urban areas is carried out using an extensive and complex system of underground pipes. The underground water mains and sewers has developed rapidly over many years. There are over 668,000km of pipes now in UK. There is a growing need to increase the quality of measurement sensors in order to reduce their uncertainty.

Why smarter?

For the traditional flow monitoring, sensors are immersed in the flow. This increases the need and costs of maintenance, limits the flexibility of the measurement system, and involves higher risks for the operators. The idea of non-contact measurement techniques enable the sensor to remote monitor the flow. It is robust, relatively cheaper and can be safely operated compared to the traditional flow monitoring techniques.

Traditional monitoring VS Remote monitoring

Experimental data has shown that the turbulence properties at a point near the free surface relate directly to the properties of the free surface pattern. This would suggest a direct linkage between the free surface and the underlying turbulence field. However, the mechanism and physical principles behind these are yet to be investigated. So far, ability to measure the pattern is limited and it has only been examined in detail for flows in rectangular channels. My project will focus on the free surface data in a partially filled circular pipe rigs under various structural and operational conditions in Sheffield.

Areas covered by this project.

My project will require extensive laboratory tests to measure the bulk flows properties, turbulence properties, free surface dynamics and microwave transducer data. The free surface acts as the information exchange mechanism between the hydraulic and acoustic systems. Therefore, my work is accordingly divided into two related parts: understanding of the hydraulic processes and acoustic responses. The objectives of this study are shown as follows:

1. Establish a facility to enable hydraulic and acoustic analysis of the flow characteristics associated with partially filled pipes.
2. Use this facility to measure the flow conditions which vary in depth, discharge, bed slope and bed type.
3. Develop acoustic instrumentation to measure the propagating sound characteristics in a pipe.
4. Develop relations between the flow properties, free surface roughness and acoustic response.

By achieving thesis objectives, the overall goal of my work is to develop a technique to determine the free surface behaviour and hence the bulk flow properties based on remote acoustic measurement of the free surface dynamics.

The Future!

The new understanding of this study will contribute to deeper study of process that interact with turbulent flow surfaces, such as greenhouse gas evasion, acoustic scattering, and pollutant mixing. The new outputs of this project will enable end users reduce cost on monitoring system with more effective and accurate asset management. For public, we can have a lower risk of harmful flood events and better network rail services.

Lindsey Furness

Lindsey Furness

Author : Lindsey Furness, EngD student. Her host university is Newcastle University and her project, 'Advancing the use of flow cytometry (FCM) in the water sector' is sponsored by Northumbrian Water.

I have just begun a 4-year Engineering Doctorate programme funded by the EPSRC and Northumbrian Water as part of the STREAM programme. As someone with a background in microbiology and no particular reputation for engineering ingenuity, this has come as somewhat a surprise to myself, my family and my friends. The STREAM programme supports researchers through providing a number of technical and transferable skills modules designed to prepare us to ‘drive innovation in the water industry’. Myself and 11 others make up cohort IX of the STREAM programme. We have a diverse range of backgrounds that includes mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, biological sciences and geography, but our new occupations unite us neatly under the umbrella of environmental engineering.

And to refer back to the beginning of this blogpost: that’s how a microbiologist becomes a research engineer!

Cohort IX on a field trip to Cambridge sewage treatment works

Now all the acronyms are cleared up, it seems a reasonable time to introduce my research project. This will be based at Northumbrian Water (which resides mainly in the north-east of England but interestingly also owns Essex & Suffolk Water- I note this as I am very excited for the commute!), with additional support from Newcastle University. The title is ‘Advancing the use of flow cytometry (FCM) in the water industry’. This is a rather broad scope, something I hope to narrow very quickly as meetings with my industrial and academic supervisors progress.

Flow cytometry at its most basic is using a machine to count cells through suspending them in a stream of fluid and passing this through a laser beam (or other electronic detection mechanism). At a broader level, flow cytometry allows the instant collection of data on individual particles by applying fluorescent stains and using an array of different lasers. Additionally, some flow cytometers have cell sorting capabilities in order to isolate and retain populations of cells according to tailored parameters.

A BD Accuri C6 flow cytometer (picture taken at Severn Trent Water)

FCM can be used to detect individual bacterial cells in water samples. These are differentiated from other particles in the sample using dyes to stain their DNA, producing a specific measurable fluorescence. For each individual cell, information is given on its size and complexity. An additional dye can be applied to highlight live cells, allowing a ‘total count’ and ‘viable count’ of bacteria in a sample to be achieved.

Analysis of bacteria in water is currently through culture based methods. This involves mixing a selected range of nutrients in an agar or broth, applying the sample and incubating this in an environment the bacteria of interest would be expected to grow. A major disadvantage of this is that bacteria do not always grow; in fact, we are able to grow only ~1% of bacteria that are found in water. There is also time-lag in results acquisition, as bacteria can take from 16 hours to 1 week to grow, depending on the organism. The pros and cons of this method are extensive and perhaps a subject for another blogpost.

Example of culture based methods using chromogenic media. Picture source FischerScientific.

The advantage of using flow cytometry for analysis is that a true representation of bacterial populations in a water sample can be acquired. Additionally, after ~15minutes sample preparation, results can be seen in real time. This should allow a much more reactive approach to bacterial control through the water treatment process.

I hope that my research will help highlight areas in both water and wastewater treatment where flow cytometry could help control and solve bacterial issues in processing, by providing a more accurate and rapid methodology. Application of FCM can also be used to optimise processes such as disinfection, reducing over-processing of water.

I could go on but I think that’s enough introduction for now! More posts may or may not follow.

Anaerobic Digestion: A central feature of the Circular Economy

Anaerobic Digestion: A central feature of the Circular Economy

Author : Ildefonso Rocamora Miguel, EngD student. His host university is Cranfield University and his project, 'Batch-dry digestion: optimising the science behind it' is sponsored by Amey.

After some time out of the university I never thought that I would be back at Cranfield University and back to science again. But with the support of Amey Plc, Cranfield University and the STREAM program here I am again, ready to tackle an EngD program with the goal of improving the current anaerobic digestion processes that Amey currently runs in their two energy from waste plants in England. The goal being to improve biogas production for the production of renewable energy and at the same time minimize gas emissions and contaminants.

The company is currently using anaerobic digestion as part of the United Kingdom’s agenda to solve the problem of the high amount of organic matter (food waste, garden residues, etc..) still present in the waste bags of the people that do not separate them properly at their homes and is never reused. The organic matter in our black bin bags currently finishes its life in landfills, contributing to increasing the footprint of our way of life and increasing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere, aggravating the greenhouse effect that worryingly raises global temperature.

With the aim of reducing the disposal to landfill to the bare minimum, Amey’s process plants perform a mechanical treatment, where recyclables still present in the plant are recovered, the organic matter is recovered from the general waste and the rest is sent to produce electricity by incineration or gasification. This reduces the disposal to landfill to less than three percent, which reduces dramatically the use of landfills, although further studies are being carried to minimize this amount to zero.

The organic matter obtained from the general waste is then sent to an anaerobic digestion process, storing the biodegradable organic matter in the absence of oxygen, where microorganism will break down the organic matter, producing biogas and a solid residue. The biogas produced in the anaerobic digestion is rich in methane, a gas with high calorific value, that can be burned in engines to produce electricity to be supplied to the grid, and all of this using a residue that before was being disposed to landfill. On top of that, the solid residue obtained from the anaerobic digestion is a product rich in nutrients, and will be used as a fertilizer for agriculture and landscaping, reducing dramatically the amount of product sent to landfill after the process and providing a natural and high quality fertilizer for local farmers at cheap price.

This process is one example of the types of solution that we need to adopt to extricate ourselves from the current resource use model of take, make and dispose, where any used materials end up in landfill without any reuse or recycling. Recovering reusable fractions of solid waste supports a circular economy philosophy, where minimizing the use of naturals resources, reuse and recycle are the main priorities. Anaerobic digestion promises an ideal long-term option to support multiple recirculation of resources, transforming a waste stream to produce renewable energy and fertilizer without the need of using any fossil fuels related technology.

My project brief

My project brief

Author : Anastasia Doronina, PhD student. Her host university is The University of Sheffield and her project, 'Understanding the fate of metals, organics and the role of service reservoirs in delivering high quality drinking water' is sponsored by Northumbrian Water, Scottish Water, Anglian Water, Welsh Water and Bristol Water

Now, this really will be brief as in all honesty I have no idea precisely what direction my project will take at this stage… In fact, I imagine that none of us will properly understand what we are doing until around mid-second year when we are neck deep in mistakes, trials, empty coffee cups, and, if we are fortunate, some sort of conclusions that give us direction. But whilst I still have the ability to maintain an optimistic view on this endeavour, here’s an overview of my project and the idea behind it…

My goal is to try to understand the fate and transport of metals and organic compounds (carbon containing molecules) from catchment (source), through the water treatment works, and the water distribution network (pipes, and customer taps). I will be doing this in order to try and derive an appropriate and cost-effective management strategy which will ensure that high quality drinking water remains high from source to tap.

My approach to achieving this will come from the understanding of how and where certain materials get in to the water supply, and at which stages they sink to the bottom. These behaviours will give some insight into the distribution of these materials at different stages of the network. I will also be looking at how the final treatment processes influence the above behaviours.

One of the main components that I will be focusing on is a metal called manganese (Mn), which is abundant in water sources and is one of the main causes of discolouration of the water supply at customer taps. It can make the water appear to have a green/brown tinge, add a strong metallic taste, and in some cases block valves and other pipe lines in the household; so, it can be quite a nuisance. The hope is that I will be able to determine whether manganese alone poses a challenge to water quality, or whether that happens in combination with other factors.

My work will require extensive fieldwork across the country, which I am really excited about, although I am sure I will be slightly less eager about analysing the, hopefully, large data-set at the end.

The rationale behind this work is that the water quality at the source will influence the final water quality coming out of a water treatment works, which will have a direct impact on the distribution pipework, and therefore the water that comes out of customers taps. Despite this known fact, not much research has been performed in this area which would link the source to tap relationship of constituents in the supply.

We all want high quality drinking water, we rely on it, and we demand it of our water companies. What most of us don’t realise, is that behind the scenes there is a vast amount of work that goes into making this happen. I aspire to make my project a part of that incredible knowledge base.

I hope that this very brief overview has been of interest, and has inspired you to check in on me from time to time to see how I’m getting on at https://www.streamacademe.tumblr. com.

Anastasia Doronina

Below is a picture of our culprit (manganese) for you to observe.

Optimisation of Anaerobic Digestion

Optimisation of Anaerobic Digestion

Author : Steve Oxtoby, EngD student. His host university is Imperial College London and his project, 'Improvement, validation and implementation of predictive models on full scale anaerobic digestion assets' is sponsored by Thames Water and Severn Trent Water.

In my copious (2 week) experience of the STREAM programme, I’ve discovered that what makes it more exciting and (arguably) better than other doctorate options is the community feel between us streamers (the collective noun for people who are doing a stream EngD or PhD) as well as the wide variety of backgrounds and projects we are tackling. One 2017 streamer is a forestry student, others are geographers, chemical engineers (like myself), microbiologists, and assorted other science and maths disciplines. The projects are varied as well, mine is titled ‘Improvement, validation, and implementation of predictive models on full scale anaerobic digestion assets’ and is sponsored by Thames Water. I’ll be building on a previous project by improving a model and using it in order to improve industrial operation of anaerobic digesters, but more on that later. Other projects include using flow cytometry (… I know) in the water sector as well as such brilliant titles as “Rooting out Resilience” which I believe is a study into problems created during the transport of potable (drinking) water and lots of studies into various methods for wastewater treatment.

So that’s a fountain of wisdom about STREAM, now for a splurge regarding my project. In most (all) modern wastewater treatment plants, there is an initial settling/ dewatering stage. This splits into a liquid stream which will often be treated by an activated sludge process in which a tank is aerated to digest solids in the liquid, and a more solid rich stream, known as sludge. This sludge is where my project comes in. This sludge is anaerobically (without air) digested in order to produce methane (CH4), a gas most famously produced by cows. This can be burnt to produce energy and is generally valuable. This digestion takes place throughout several stages, acidogenesis and methanogenesis being a couple. The problem with this is that these stages make it quite a complex system to solve. When that is coupled with the competing constraints including that the sludge must be digested to produce a solid that can be used as fertiliser, as much methane as possible, and water that can be put back into the activated sludge process, it becomes even more complex. In short, it’s not easy to model but there’s obviously a lot to be gained from doing so. For the past 4 years a previous EngD has tackled that, my mission is to complete and capitalise on his work. Bet you wish you were reading the Geographer’s project now eh.

By now it should’ve become clear that this isn’t quite a traditional PhD, partially because its not. What made me want this project so much is the ability to make a difference in the short term. Potentially during the project but if not at the end of the 4 years I should have some tangible results and suggestions on how the process should be ran. That or a big fat failure of a model that oversimplifies or worse, overcomplicates, the problem such that it is beyond solving. A traditional PhD, a friend of mine is researching graphene, can end with neither progress nor failure, I don’t think I’ll have that luxury.

This is all for blog Episode 1, Episode 2 is set to arrive whenever it feels pertinent.

Resiliently resilient, a brief history

Resiliently resilient, a brief history

Author : Elizabeth Lawson, EngD student. Her host university is University of Exeter and her project, 'Rooting out resilience' is sponsored by Northumbrian Water.

As I explained in my last post I am currently enrolled on an EngD in collaboration with Northumbrian Water and Exeter University, however so far, I am yet to explain exactly what my project is and more to the point, what I am going to be completely engrossed in over the next four years. So here I thought I would provide you with a quick introduction.

My official project title is 'Rooting out resilience: developing and embedding metrics in the water industry'. This essentially means that it is now my job to investigate and evaluate the capacity of Northumbrian Water, and other water companies within the UK, to deal with risks posed to them both as a business and as a supplier of a critical resource, and ultimately make suggestions on how the business can overall become a more resilient organisation. To put it even more simply, I need to find a way to make sure the water industry is ready to deal with and bounce back from any crisis or shock that they may face, independent of whether it is operational, financial or corporate. Whilst maintaining their ability to provide high quality water and waste water services now and into the future.

So, 'what really is resilience, where did it come from, and why is it so important?' I hear you ask. Well luckily for you I thought I would give you a brief history.

Recently the term 'resilience' has been appearing increasingly, in specialised articles, national strategies, business publications or just day to day conversation, covering anything from psychology to business strategy. However, where it has suddenly come from and why resilience is now so 'on trend' is a question that many people continue to pose.

The term itself is believed to have originally come into use via French from the Latin verb resaltare which means to bounce back, to get moving again or to result from. Others consider it to come from the verb resilire which literally means to jump backwards. Either way in more modern language the word continues to be used in a range of nuances which ultimately express the 'notion of adapting to circumstances in the face of, or as a result of a shocking event'.

The word has long since been used in a range of scientific fields whether it is in ecology to 'define the ability of an ecosystem to maintain its function when faced with a disturbance', or in metallurgy, in which it is simply a 'measure of the resistance of a metal bar to shock'. However, it is the field of psychology where the concept of resilience has been more widely used and repeatedly promoted, on an individual level over the past few decades. Here the term was introduced by Boris Cyrulnik as the 'capacity to carry on regardless, in environments that ought to lead to breakdown'. In a broader sense resilience here refers to the capability to continue, post suffering or post shock therefore defining a form of immediate or rediscovered stability.

Even more recently the term has been expanded to cover and apply to an organisation as well as the individual. With the view that 'resilience does not offer the possibility to resist wind and tide, but is instead the ability to create a structure that crisis or shock, even when completely unpredictable can be withstood by a company, with the possibility that the company could become even stronger after the event'. It is this organisational level of resilience, including financial, corporate and operational, what it comprises of, how it is achieved and how it is implemented, that my specific project will be focussed on.

It is therefore my aim that, through the application of a range of methodologies I will ultimately be able to provide a grounding in the business for different types of resilience (e.g. infrastructure, environment- supply and demand, customer, business), how it is currently managed and any challenges for the future. Well that's the hope any way. As for how this works out, I'll keep you updated!