NoonTalk@DIATI #33: Good modelling practice: It’s all about balance!
Speaker: Dr. Youri Amerlinck, Research Associate at Ghent University - Prof. Mariachiara Zanetti moderates the discussion
Water is a very vulnerable resource and needs to be protected. In order to optimise wastewater treatment technology, we need to better understand the processes taking place in them. Mathematical modelling is a powerful tool to build knowledge about complex processes as it can exploit the power of computation. In order to describe/model a WWTP it is mandatory to describe all of the processes in a sufficiently detailed manner (i.e. not overly complex nor oversimplified). Indeed, it does not make sense to use an overly detailed bio-kinetic model including hundreds of components and to oversimplify hydraulics, chemical reactions, gas-liquid transfers or settling behaviour. Emphasis is given to sub processes that are known to have a
large impact on the overall process performance, i.e. influent characterization, primary sedimentation, aeration and energy
consumption. In this presentation concepts as what-if scenarios, uncertainty analysis and optimal experimental design will be addressed accompanied by several case studies.