Evaluation of hydraulic efficiency of disinfection systems based on residence time distribution curves.

Hydraulic efficiency is a vital component in evaluating the disinfection capability of a contact system. Current practice evaluates these systems based upon the theoretical detention time (TDT) and the rising limb of the residence time distribution (RTD) curve. This evaluation methodology is expected because most systems are built based on TDT under a "black-box" approach to disinfection system design. Within recent years, the proliferation of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has allowed a more insightful approach to disinfection system design and analysis. Research presented in this study using CFD models and physical tracer studies shows that evaluation methods based upon TDT tend to overestimate, severely in some instances, the actual hydraulic efficiency as obtained from the system's flow and scalar transport dynamics and subsequent RTD curve. The main objective of this study was to analyze an alternative measure of hydraulic efficiency, the ratio t(10)/t(90), where t(10) and t(90) are the time taken for 10 and 90% of the input concentration to be observed at the outlet of a system, respectively, for various disinfection systems, primarily a pipe loop system, pressurized tank system, and baffled tank system, from their respective RTD curves and compare the results to the current evaluation method.