Impact of bubble and free surface oxygen transfer on diffused
aeration systems
I supose you think these people don't know what they are talking about?
Connie D. DeMoyera, Erica L. Schierholza, John S. Gullivera,*,
Steven C. Wilhelmsb
a St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota, Mississippi River at 3rd Avenue, SE,
Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA
bUS Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center, Waterways Experiment Station, 3909 Halls Ferry Road,
Vicksburg, MS 39180, USA
Received 1 November 2001; received in revised form 1 November 2002
6. Conclusions
The standard testing methodologyfor oxygen transfer
in aerated systems oversimplifies the oxygen transfer
process and makes adjustment of measured values to
other depths intangible. This paper more accurately
describes the oxygen mass transfer process and advances
McWhirter and Hutters mass transfer model by
considering both oxygen transfer and the transfer of
other gases, primarilynitrogen, into and out of the
bubbles as theyrise to the water surface.
Model results
indicate that the surface-transfer coefficient in a 9.25m
tank with an air flow rate of 5176 scmh is 5985% of
the bubble-transfer coefficient. The analysis of the gasphase
oxygen composition and liquid-phase equilibrium
concentration shows that the bubblewater concentration
gradient is also of greater magnitude than the air
water concentration gradient.
Experiments and analysis designed to determine the
relative location of high surface-transfer coefficients
indicate that the large transfer coefficient directlyabove
the bubble plume is related to air discharge, while the
lower transfer coefficient outside of this region is not
related to air discharge.
Surface transfer and bubblewater transfer both
contribute significantlyto the total oxygen transfer in
this type of diffused aeration system.
Bubblewater
transfer, however, is the dominant means of oxygen
transfer. These results were obtained numerically and
verified experimentally. The results can be applied to
aerated systems at similar depths or to deeper water
systems where the higher bubblewater concentration
gradient near the submerged diffuser should cause an
even greater dominance of bubble transfer in the
aeration process. I
nsight into the relative importance
of transfer across the water surface and bubble surface
can be used to design more effective diffused aeration
systems for lakes, reservoirs, and wastewater treatment
facilities at a varietyof water depths.
Acknowledgements
The experiments described and data presented, unless
otherwise noted, were part of research conducted under
authoritygiven bythe US ArmyCorps of Engineers
DistrictChicago. Permission was granted bythe Chief
of Engineers to publish this information. The authors
thank Jian Peng and Miki Hondzo for their conceptual
input into this research and their helpfulness in
conducting aeration tests. We also thank Calvin Buie
and Jason Giovannettone for assisting with aeration
experiments during hot Julyday s in Mississippi.
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