Tutorial 2

Ideal and Non-Ideal Models

1. A reservoir has been constructed to supply irrigation water to adjacent
farmland. The water requirement for the farmland is composed of the water lost
by evapotranspiration (10,000 m3/yr) and the water needed to flush out salt
carried in by the irrigation water. The salty return water is called agricultural
return flow, and the salt concentration cannot exceed 3,000 g/m3; otherwise
plants are killed. If the agricultural return flow enters the reservoir (Fig. 1),
determine
(a) the water flow rate out of the reservoir,
(b) the salt concentration in the reservoir and
(c) the pumping rate needed to irrigate the farmland and flush salts back
into the reservoir.

Assume steady-state conditions, no rainfall, no reservoir evaporation, and no salt

lost by evapotranspiration.

Qin= 20,000m3/yr; Cin =500 g/m3

farmland

Water supply
reservoir
10,000 m3/yr

Agri. Return
Flow Evaporation
C≤3,000 g/m3

Qout = ?; Cout =?
Mass Balance: Assume all losses due to evapotranspiration and
all salt in the return flow is due to the concentration in the
reservoir water

a) Material balance for flow for entire region

Qin  10,000  Qout

Qout  20,000  10,000  10,000m 3 / yr

b) Salt balance for entire system

C in Qin  C out Qout

Cin Qin 20,000 x500

C out    1000 g / m 3
Qout 10,000
 QP,CP
QE=10,000 QP  10,000  QR
QR,CR

c) Salt balance around farm

C P QP  C R QR

(10,000  QR )1000  QR (3000)

QR (3000  1000)  10,000,000

QR  5,000 m 3 / yr

QP  10,000  QR  15,000 m 3 / yr
2. Estimate the reduction in bacteria during the passage of wastewater that initially contains 10 6 cells/mL
through three stabilization ponds that are arranged in series. The volumes of the three ponds are 10,000,
20,000 and 6,000 m3, respectively. The flow rate is 1000 m3/d. Assume that steady state conditions apply,
that the ponds are mixed completely because of wind action, that first order kinetics apply, and that the
value of the reaction rate coefficient, k, is 1.0 /day. Would the efficiency improve if all of the ponds were
equal in volume (12,000 m3/ pond)?
Q=1000m3/d V1=10,000m3
V2=20,000m3
C1 C2 C3 V3=6,000m3
Ci=106cells/mL k=1/d

 Each pond acts as a CFSTR with first order reaction

dC
V  QC i  QC  kVC  0
dt
 Steady state solution is
QC i Ci
C  where H = V/Q
Q  kV 1  k H
 Pond No. 1
10 6
 C1   9.09 x10 4 cells / mL
10,000
1
1,000
 V1=10,000m3
Q=1000m3/d V2=20,000m3
C1 C2 C3 V3=20,000m3
k=1/d
Ci=106cells/mL

 Pond No. 2
9.09 x10 4
 C2   4.33 x10 3 cells / mL
20,000
1
1,000
 Pond No. 3
4.33 x10 3
 C3   6.19 x10 2 cells / mL
6,000
1
1,000
 V1=12,000m3
Q=1000m3/d V2=12,000m3
C1 C2 C3 V3=12,000m3
k=1/d
Ci=106cells/mL

 If each pond had the same volume, V = 12,000 m3

10 6 10 6
 C1    7.69 x10 4 cells / mL
1  12 13
10 6 1
 C2  x  5.92 x10 3 cells / mL
13 13

10 6 1 1
 C3  x x  4.55 x10 2 cells / mL
13 13 13

 Yes, efficiency would be better for 3 equal sized ponds of

12,000 m3
3. A river receives a discharge of 0.44 m3/s at a concentration of 150 mg/L. The river
flow upstream is 0.88 m3/s at zero concentration. For 24.1 km downstream, the velocity
is 0.19 m/s. A region of slow moving water is then encountered for the next 32.2 km
where the velocity drops to 0.037 m/s. If the decay rate of the substance is 0.2 /day,
what is the concentration at the point 56.3 km downstream from the outfall?

Qe=0.44m3/s
Ce=150mg/L
Qu=0.88m3/s
Cu=0mg/L
U=0.19m/s U=0.037m/s

A B
24.1km 56.3km

32.2km
 Mixing at discharge point

QeCe  Qu Cu 0.44(150)  0
Co    50mg / L
Qu  Q e 0.44  0.88
 River acts as a PFR with advection and decay

C C
 U  kC  0
t x
 Steady state solution is
x 24,100
C  Co e  kt* where t*    1.47days
U 0.19( 3600 x 24)
 At A, x = 24.1km =24,100m

C A  50e 0.2 (1.47 )  37.3mg / L

32,200
 At B, x = 32.2km relative to A t*   10.07 days
0.037( 3600 x 24 )

C B  37.3e 0.2 (10.07 )  4.98mg / L

 4. The river and tributary shown below have flow rates of 4.0 and 0.5 m3/s respectively.
Under the conditions given, the flow split at point A is 0.7 to QAB and 0.3 to QAC. Tracer
studies have been performed and the flow from A to B to C can be characterized as a
PFR followed by CFSTR followed by a PFR; while the flow from A to C behaves as a
single PFR. Volumes of these reactors are given below.

QT(tributary)
=0.5m3/s Reactor Volume
(m3)
PFR AB 15,000
B
BC 10,000
AC 30,000
CFSTR B 135,000
0.7QR
QR(river)
=4m3/s C QR+QT=4.5m3/s

A 0.3QR

Determine the concentration of the reactant at point C for the following conditions:
First order decay kinetics, k = 0.5 /day
C = 50 g/m3 (in tributary)
C = 100 g/m3 (in river)
 Reactor Volume (m3)
 Section AB: Plug Flow
PFR AB 15,000
BC 10,000
C C
AC 30,000  U  kC  0
CFSTR B 135,000 t x V
k
 kt*
QT =0.5m3/s C AB  C o e  Co e Q

15 , 000
 0 .5
B  100e ( 0.7 x 4 x 3600 x 24 )

0.7QR
 96.9 g / m 3
QR=4m3/s
Q=4.5m3/s
C
 Section B: CFSTR At steady state
A 0.3QR
dC
 Section BC: Plug Flow V  Q AB C AB  QT CT  QBC C B  kVC B  0
V
dt
k
C BC  C B e  kt*  C B e Q
Q AB C AB  QT CT
CB 
10 , 000 QBC  kV
 0 .5
 72.6e ( 3.3 x 3600 x 24 )
2.8(96.9)  0.5(50)
CB   72.6 g / m 3
0.5 x135,000
 71.3 g / m 3 ( 2.8  0.5) 
3,600 x 24
 Reactor Volume (m3)
 Section AC: Plug Flow
PFR AB 15,000
BC 10,000
C C
AC 30,000  U  kC  0
CFSTR B 135,000 t x
V
QT=0.5m3/s k
C AB  C o e  kt*  C o e Q

30 , 000
 0 .5
B
 100e ( 0.3 x 4 x 3600 x 24 )

QR=4m3/s 0.7QR  86.5 g / m 3

C Q=4.5m3/s

A 0.3QR
 Section C: Mixing of inflows

Q AC C AC  Q BC C BC  (QBC  Q AC )CC  0

QBC C BC  Q AC C AC
CC 
QBC  Q AC

3.3(71.3)  86.5(0.3 x 4)
CC   75.4 g / m 3
3 .3  1 .2
5. Suppose a waste source to a river claims to be discharging 0.14 m3/s with an
effluent concentration of 10 mg/l as shown below.

Q=0.14m3/s
C=10mg/L

Q=0.28m3/s
C=5mg/L A B

8km 8km

Data collected at A gave a concentration of 5 mg/l and at B, a concentration of

2 mg/l. Based on this information from the river, is the discharger’s claim true?
If you think not, what is your estimate of the discharge concentration ?
The substance is non-conservative and the river velocity is 0.093 m/s
 River: Assume plug flow conditions at steady state
C C
 U  kC  0
t x

x
C  Co e  kt* where t * 
U
U  0.093m / s  8035.2 m / d
?
 Need to estimate k
8000
k
C A  Co e 8035
 C o e  0.996 k
16 , 000
k
C B  Co e 8035
 C o e 1.991k
CA 5
  e ( 0.006 1.991) k
CB 2
1
k ln 2.5  0.92 / d
0.995
 Based on this k value

Co  C Ae  k ( 0.996 )  12.5mg / L

 For this value of Co

C o Qo  Cu Qu (12.5 x 0.42)  (0.28 x5)

Ce  
Qe 0.14
 27.5mg / L  10mg / L

  Discharger’s report is inconsistent with observed water

quality. In some cases, incomplete mixing of the effluent may
also explain the higher observed stream concentration.
However, 8km distance is quite far downstream, so this is
unlikely.
6. A dump of 9.1 kg of a conservative chemical was made accidentally into a
river. The release was over a short period of time and can be approximated as
an instantaneous release. The river had the following characteristics during the
dump: U = 0.15 m/s, B = 60.5 m, H = 2.5m

(a) Estimate the longitudinal dispersion coefficient using Harleman’s formula and
assuming n=0.10.
(b) What is the peak concentration (g/L) to be expected of this chemical 1-day travel time
downstream?
(b) Compute and plot the concentration distribution (g/L) over time of the chemical at a
distance of 12.96 km downstream
(a) Longitudinal dispersion coefficient
5
Harleman (1964) D x  63nUR 6

n=Manning’s roughness coefficient

=0.10
U=velocity = 0.15 m/s
2.5 R=hydraulic radius = A/P
= 60.5x2.5 = 2.31
65.5
60.5
 5

D x  63nUR 6

 63 x 0.1x 0.15 x 2.31 6

 1.90 m 2 / s
 1.64 x10 m / d
5 2
(b) Chemical is conservative  k=0

C C  2C
 U  Dx 2
t x x
( x Ut ) 2

M
C e 4 Dxt

2 A D x t
 Peak concentration is

M 9.1x10 3

2 A D x t 2(60.5 x 2.5) x1.64 x10 5 x1

 0.0419 g / m 3 g to µg

 0.0419 x10 6 x10  3

 41.9 g / L m3 to L
 ( x Ut ) 2

M
C e 4 Dxt

2 A D x t

(c) At distance 12.96 km = 12,960m

U = 0.15 m/s
(12 , 960 12 , 960 t ) 2 = 0.15 x 86400
41.9 
C e 4 x1.64 x10 5 t =12,960 m/d
t

 If peak is when tp = 1day, then xp=U.tp=12,960m

t (days) 0.5 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3

C (µg/L) 0 0 2.57 41.9 3.89 0.008 0