title: Improving flow distribution in influent channels using computational fluid dynamics.
abstract: Although the flow distribution in an influent channel where the inflow is split into each treatment process in a wastewater treatment plant greatly affects the efficiency of the process, and a weir is the typical structure for the flow distribution, to the authors' knowledge, there is a paucity of research on the flow distribution in an open channel with a weir. In this study, the influent channel of a real-scale wastewater treatment plant was used, installing a suppressed rectangular weir that has a horizontal crest to cross the full channel width. The flow distribution in the influent channel was analyzed using a validated computational fluid dynamics model to investigate (1) the comparison of single-phase and two-phase simulation, (2) the improved procedure of the prototype channel, and (3) the effect of the inflow rate on flow distribution. The results show that two-phase simulation is more reliable due to the description of the free-surface fluctuations. It should first be considered for improving flow distribution to prevent a short-circuit flow, and the difference in the kinetic energy with the inflow rate makes flow distribution trends different. The authors believe that this case study is helpful for improving flow distribution in an influent channel.
authors: Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Research Institute, Gyeongsang National University, 501, Jinju-daero, Jinju 660-701, Republic of Korea.
authors: No-Suk
authors: NS
authors: Park
authors: Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Research Institute, Gyeongsang National University, 501, Jinju-daero, Jinju 660-701, Republic of Korea.
authors: Sukmin
authors: S
authors: Yoon
authors: Department of Civil Engineering, Kyungnam University, Changwon, Republic of Korea.
authors: Woochang
authors: W
authors: Jeong
authors: Environmental Process Engineering Team, Global Engineering Division, GS Engineering & Construction, Seoul, Republic of Korea E-mail: leejoin14@gmail.com.
authors: Seungjae
authors: S
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D057446:Hydrodynamics; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D062065:Wastewater / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D062065:Wastewater