Mission Statement
Transition the wastewater market to probabilistic use of mathematical simulators; which will provide utilities with more effective facilities and increase the socio-economic benefits of wastewater recovery.
Objectives
The goal of the DOUT group is to critically summarise the work that has already been done on the topic of uncertainty evaluation and identify gaps in available methods or knowledge. The study intends to bring together the collective knowledge of engineers, academics and plant owners, from several countries and continents. The IWA task group will be the first phase of a multi stage project that will culminate in the development of an industry-wide, recognized protocol that incorporates uncertainty evaluations in model-based plant design and optimisation.
Tasks
1. Document how uncertainty/risk are currently handled in the wastewater industry
2. Clarify the terms and definitions
3. Develop a list of sources of uncertainty
4. Evaluate existing methods
5. Identify gaps in current knowledge and developments required
6. Incorporate knowledge from other fields
7. Produce a report
Workshops
– 11th IWA Specialized Conference “Design, Operation and Economics of Large Waste Water Treatment Plants”: How close to your permit do you design or operate your plant? Effluent regulations, sampling strategies and risk., Budapest, Hungary, September 6th, 2011.
– WWTmod2010: Interdisciplinary Meeting on Uncertainty, Mont-Sainte-Anne, Québec, March 31st, 2010.
– IWA WWC 2010: Explicitly dealing with uncertainty in WWTP design and operation, IWA World Congress, Montreal, September 20th.
– WEFTEC 2010: How will your Wastewater Plant Really Run? Evaluating Risk in Design and Operation, Workshop 203, New Orleans, October 3rd.
– SPN6: Interdisciplinary Meeting on Uncertainty in Water Systems, Goldcoast, Australia, November 11-12, 2010.
IWA Website
http://www.iwahq.org/Home/Networks/Task_groups/Task_Group_on_Uncertainty/
Publications
– Belia, E., Amerlinck, Y., Benedetti, L., Johnson, B., Sin, G., Vanrolleghem, P.A., Gernaey, K. V., Gillot, S., Neumann, M. B., Rieger, L., Shaw, A., and Villez, K. (2009). Wastewater treatment modeling: Dealing with Uncertainties. Wat. Sci. Tech., 60(8), 1929-1941.
– Belia, E., Benedetti, L., Johnson, B., Murthy, S., Vanrolleghem, P.A., Gernaey, K. V., Gillot, S., Neumann, M. B., Weijers, S., and Copp, JB. (2009). Wastewater treatment modelling: discussing uncertainty. INFLUENTS, Vol 4, 81-83.