Odour and Air Management Studies - Key Tool in Determining Effective Odour Control Solutions

KWL's Wayne Wong made a presentation at the 2012 BC Water and Waste Association annual conference in Penticton, B.C. 

ABSTRACT

Sanitary odours from pump stations, sewers, and forcemains are a costly problem for many municipalities.  Understanding the air and sewer dynamics within a collection system is essential to identify the causes of odour entering the environment and to develop cost-effective solutions.  Local pressurization of the air space in a sewer can result in odourous air being expelled at manholes and vents.  The conventional solution has been to either seal manholes at these locations or install passive carbon scrubbers.  This approach typically increases the pressurization within the overall system and potentially causes air to be expelled elsewhere, shifting the odour problem to a new location.  This reactive solution is a poor investment because it compounds rather than solves the odour problem.

Completing an odour and air management analysis is a critical step in determining the cause of odour complaints.  Once the cause is identified, as little as one or two appropriately sized and well located active odour control facilities can usually solve the problem.

This presentation describes a successful sanitary and air modeling study for the Highbury Interceptor in Metro Vancouver, where a previous installation of carbon scrubbers had failed to address residents’ odour complaints.

Key learning points are:

• Conventional approach to odour control may lead to unexpected and undesirable pressurization and odour release from the sanitary sewer system;
• Air management modeling, when used together with sanitary sewer modeling, can be an effective tool for developing an odour control solution;
• Proactive planning in the design of sanitary sewer systems can help avoid odour issues, while minimizing overall operating costs for odour control.

To view his presentation, click on the download button below.