NEW

GSP-GVW: Concrete Asset Structure Failure Review (Goulbourn Valley Water)

Nina NEW

Background

Goulburn Valley Water (GVW) provides water and sewerage services to approximately 130,000 people in 54 cities, towns and villages across more than 20,000 square kilometres in northern Victoria.  GVW also provides water and sewerage services to a large and diverse food manufacturing industry in the Goulburn Valley – the food bowl of Australia.  Providing these water and sewerage services requires 37 separate water treatment plants for roughly 59,000 properties across 54 towns, 26 wastewater management facilities for approximately 50,700 properties across 30 towns and 1,800 kilometre of buried water mains and sewers.

These 63 geographically dispersed water and wastewater systems are a defining feature of the operating environment of GVW, which has a major influence on the capital investment program, operational costs and customer service response times.

Provision of high quality water and trade waste services to food processing industries is a major business focus due to their individual impact on Goulburn Valley Water’s systems.

The geographic area of Goulburn Valley Water comprises the local government areas of:

  • Shire of Moira;
  • Shire of Campaspe;
  • City of Greater Shepparton;
  • Shire of Mansfield;
  • Shire of Mitchell;
  • Shire of Murrindindi; and
  • Shire of Strathbogie.

The main activities undertaken by Goulburn Valley Water are:

  • Harvesting and treatment of raw water;
  • Planning and management of headworks;
  • Reticulation of treated water to customers;
  • Collection and transportation of wastewater including trade waste;
  • Treatment and beneficial re-use of recycled water;
  • Beneficial recycling of wastewater treatment by-products such as biosolids and biogas;
  • Development and implementation of programs for the conservation and efficient use of water;
  • Planning with communities for their future water and wastewater services;
  • Community education about sustainable water management.

Goulburn Valley Water provides a range of services defined as Prescribed Services and Declared Services (regulated services) in clause 7 of the Water Industry Regulatory Order 2014 in respect of which the ESC has the power to regulate price standards and conditions of service and supply.

The regulated services provided by Goulburn Valley Water are as follows:

  • Retail water services;
  • Retail recycled water services;
  • Retail sewerage services;
  • Storage operator and bulk water services;
  • Bulk sewerage services
  • Bulk recycled water services;
  • Connection services;
  • Services to which developer charges apply;
  • Trade waste services.

Goulburn Valley Water does not provide drainage services (stormwater), irrigation services and irrigation drainage services.

Concrete Asset Structure Failure Review

Review literature and data for concrete asset failures in a water authority context. Calculate the deterioration of the concrete and infestation of H2S into sewers.  Specifically, focus upon sewerage pump station assets, which have a lifecycle of 50-100 years where H2S is present.

Review literature and reports from University of Queensland, Sydney Water etc, where H2S reduces the expected life of assets and how this impacts maintenance and collect data from the Water Industry sector and identify key issues in the literature.

Highlight high H2S pump stations in the Goulburn Valley asset base and the impact of waste- water on assets where concrete is weakened, take samples, install penetration device to assess deterioration of  vulnerable assets, collect various field data, and undertake destructive testing. Inform GVW about vulnerable concrete structure assets and useful life of its assets and provide robust advice about best approaches to design life of assets and methodology for calculating asset life.

 Deliverables:

The deliverables of this project will be staged with an initial focus on literature review and data collection and some filed work.

Governance:

This project will be managed through weekly meetings of the students () whom will seek draft approval from the Project Managers (Dr Biplob Pramanik and Marcos Anastassiou) and through frequent contact with the Project Sponsor (Michael Welk) to ensure work is satisfactory.

Reporting Requirements:

There will be draft approval and/or progress reporting fortnightly to the project managers.

Assumptions and Constraints:

Primarily governed by ready access to the relevant  GVW data

Risks and Minimisation Strategies:

Incomplete data collection resulting in inaccurate recommendations.

  • This will be minimised by collecting as much data as possible from as many sources as possible.

Low data resolution.

  • The highest resolution data available will be sourced to ensure accuracy.

Guidelines/Standards:

Water Act 1989

Water Industry Act 1994

 

 

 

GSP – GVW: Process Control Failure Study (Goulburn Valley Water Network)

Nina NEW

Background

Goulburn Valley Water (GVW) provides water and sewerage services to approximately 130,000 people in 54 cities, towns and villages across more than 20,000 square kilometres in northern Victoria.  GVW also provides water and sewerage services to a large and diverse food manufacturing industry in the Goulburn Valley – the food bowl of Australia.  Providing these water and sewerage services requires 37 separate water treatment plants for roughly 59,000 properties across 54 towns, 26 wastewater management facilities for approximately 50,700 properties across 30 towns and 1,800 kilometre of buried water mains and sewers.

These 63 geographically dispersed water and wastewater systems are a defining feature of the operating environment of GVW, which has a major influence on the capital investment program, operational costs and customer service response times.

Provision of high- quality water and trade waste services to food processing industries is a major business focus due to their individual impact on Goulburn Valley Water’s systems.

The geographic area of Goulburn Valley Water comprises the local government areas of:

  • Shire of Moira;
  • Shire of Campaspe;
  • City of Greater Shepparton;
  • Shire of Mansfield;
  • Shire of Mitchell;
  • Shire of Murrindindi; and
  • Shire of Strathbogie.

The main activities undertaken by Goulburn Valley Water are:

  • Harvesting and treatment of raw water;
  • Planning and management of headworks;
  • Reticulation of treated water to customers;
  • Collection and transportation of wastewater including trade waste;
  • Treatment and beneficial re-use of recycled water;
  • Beneficial recycling of wastewater treatment by-products such as biosolids and biogas;
  • Development and implementation of programs for the conservation and efficient use of water;
  • Planning with communities for their future water and wastewater services;
  • Community education about sustainable water management.

Goulburn Valley Water provides a range of services defined as Prescribed Services and Declared Services (regulated services) in clause 7 of the Water Industry Regulatory Order 2014 in respect of which the ESC has the power to regulate price standards and conditions of service and supply.

The regulated services provided by Goulburn Valley Water are as follows:

  • Retail water services;
  • Retail recycled water services;
  • Retail sewerage services;
  • Storage operator and bulk water services;
  • Bulk sewerage services
  • Bulk recycled water services;
  • Connection services;
  • Services to which developer charges apply;
  • Trade waste services.

Goulburn Valley Water does not provide drainage services (stormwater), irrigation services and irrigation drainage services.

Process Control Failure Study

This project shall aim to examine major failures in process control in water treatment and wastewater treatment plants. The aim of the study is to better predict areas of failure in the operation of these plants. The project shall involve an extensive review of literature around failures in water and waste water treatment plants and then take existing data from SCADA systems to review and analyse problems and failures. Where are the process interlocks or lack of process controls?

Deliverables:

The deliverables of this project will be staged with an initial focus on data collection.

Deliverable Description Initial Timing Estimate
Commencement Workshop Collect Data from GVW (data for 2019-20)

●        Orientation to the project

●        Historical issues re process control and SCADA systems

●        Individual student briefs and research questions

 Feb

Early March
Milestone 1 Project Plan March
Milestone 2 Some preliminary analysis of Data

·       Evaluation of data

 

 May
Milestone 3 Progress report. Early June
Milestone 4 Draft Project Report. Early September
Milestone 5 Project Report. End September
A presentation on the project report. End October

Governance:

This project will be managed through weekly meetings of the students () whom will seek draft approval from the Project Managers (Prof. John Mo and Marcos Anastassiou) and through frequent contact with the Project Sponsor ( Michael Welk) to ensure work is satisfactory.

Reporting Requirements:

There will be draft approval and/or progress reporting fortnightly to the project managers.

 Assumptions and Constraints:

Primarily governed by ready access to the relevant SCADA data

 Risks and Minimisation Strategies:

Incomplete data collection resulting in inaccurate recommendations.

  • This will be minimised by collecting as much data as possible from as many sources as possible.

Low data resolution.

  • The highest resolution data available will be sourced to ensure accuracy.

 Guidelines/Standards:

Water Act 1989

 

GSP – GVW: Pump Station Control in the Goulburn Valley Water Network (2 projects)

Nina NEW

Background

Goulburn Valley Water (GVW) provides water and sewerage services to approximately 130,000 people in 54 cities, towns and villages across more than 20,000 square kilometres in northern Victoria.  GVW also provides water and sewerage services to a large and diverse food manufacturing industry in the Goulburn Valley – also know as the food bowl of Australia.  Providing these water and sewerage services requires 37 separate water treatment plants for approximatley 59,000 properties across 54 towns, 26 wastewater management facilities for approximately 50,700 properties across 30 towns and 1,800 kilometre of buried water mains and sewers.

These 63 geographically dispersed water and wastewater systems are a defining feature of the operating environment of GVW, which has a major influence on the capital investment program, operational costs and customer service response times.

Provision of high quality water and trade waste services to food processing industries is a major business focus due to their individual impact on Goulburn Valley Water’s systems.

The geographic area of Goulburn Valley Water comprises the local government areas of:

  • Shire of Moira;
  • Shire of Campaspe;
  • City of Greater Shepparton;
  • Shire of Mansfield;
  • Shire of Mitchell;
  • Shire of Murrindindi; and
  • Shire of Strathbogie.

The main activities undertaken by Goulburn Valley Water are:

  • Harvesting and treatment of raw water;
  • Planning and management of headworks;
  • Reticulation of treated water to customers;
  • Collection and transportation of wastewater including trade waste;
  • Treatment and beneficial re-use of recycled water;
  • Beneficial recycling of wastewater treatment by-products such as biosolids and biogas;
  • Development and implementation of programs for the conservation and efficient use of water;
  • Planning with communities for their future water and wastewater services;
  • Community education about sustainable water management.

Goulburn Valley Water provides a range of services defined as Prescribed Services and Declared Services (regulated services) in clause 7 of the Water Industry Regulatory Order 2014 in respect of which the ESC has the power to regulate price standards and conditions of service and supply.

The regulated services provided by Goulburn Valley Water are as follows:

  • Retail water services;
  • Retail recycled water services;
  • Retail sewerage services;
  • Storage operator and bulk water services;
  • Bulk sewerage services
  • Bulk recycled water services;
  • Connection services;
  • Services to which developer charges apply;
  • Trade waste services.

Goulburn Valley Water does not provide drainage services (stormwater), irrigation services and irrigation drainage services.

A student project in collaboration with RMIT University to evaluate the efficiency of pumps in the network with respect to different types of starting mechanism for the pumps has been initiated in January 2020.  SCADA data from two pump stations, i.e. Shepperton and Sunday Creek, are used to investigate how this evaluation could be approached.  The SCADA data come with two large Excel files:

  • Interval Data Sunday Creek PS & Shepp HLPS.xlsx (electrical system data)
  • Shepparton HLP values 20190101 to 20200101.xlsx (water system data)

SCADA data cover readings from 0:00 hours on 1 January 2019 to 23:55 on 31 December, 2019.  The water system data are in 5 minutes interval, but the electrical system data are in 15 minutes interval.  The two sets of data are synchronised to 5 minutes interval by linearly interpolating the 15 minutes interval data of the electrical system.

Investigations so far

The data file contains comprehensive data set of Shepperton HL Pump Station.  Hence, the following investigations are made on Shepperton HL Pump Stations only.  Several data investigative processes have been initiated:

  • Preliminary power data audit

A critical question that needs to be addressed is accuracy of the data.  Accurate, reliable data support conclusions derived from the data set, otherwise, any outcome is questionable.  Pump operations depend on pressure acting on the system.  This preliminary power data audit uses a theoretical electrical power formula for 3 phase delta circuit and computes the individual and total power drawn by the machines.  The result shows the computed electrical power differs from the recorded electrical power (in the electrical data file).  Further investigation of how water flowrate and power are related is required.

  • Pressure-based analysis

The amount of water pumped through the station is closely related to the power drawn by the pumps in the station.  This analysis goes into detail 5 minutes interval data and examine how the recorded waterflow can be used to reversely compute the power used by the pumps.  Due to complexity of the computation, only a preliminary snapshot of the data on first day of SCADA data is analysed.  The result shows that the pressure gauge value is constant and does not show any significant variations irrespective of change of water level in the ODR tower.  It is also noticed in this investigation process that there are discrepancies of frequency data (related to motor speed) with the electrical system data.  It is later found that the frequency data might have been dislocated in time by about half a day.

  • Power-based analysis

The power-based analysis assumes that the power drawn by a pump is proportional to the current it draws.  Since the recorded power is lower than the computed power, it is assumed actual power is proportional to computed power of pumps.  With reference to the manufacturer’s supplied pump curves, which have been fitted to a second order regression curve, the respective water flowrates are computed to check if the data can be reconciled.  The result shows that this method seems to generate water flowrate curve matching the trends of pump utilisation in the recorded durations, but it also highlights the issue that the pumps’ performances have deviated from the manufacturer’s pump curves.

  • Pump performance calibration by single pump operating data

To investigate if the pumps have performed differently, without the need for on-site experiments, the pump system data are filtered to obtain records for each of the 6 pumps when they are operating by its own, i.e. only one pump is running at that time.  This exercise turns out to be very valuable in identifying some potential issues in the pumps.  The single pump operating data are plotted as pump curve, i.e. using daily flowrate as x-axis and power as y-axis.  The data are statistically fitted to a second order regression curve in the same way as the digitised pump manufacturer’s curves.  The result shows that the pumps have been drawing more power than the initial manufacturer’s data.

  • Daily water flowrate investigation

The new pump curves calibrated in (4) are used to compute the water flowrate for several selected days.  Focus of this investigation is on whether the total power drawn by the system can be substantiated by the amount of water being pumped.  The result shows that the power data match well for single pump operation, as expected.  For two pumps operation, there seems to be about 8% to 15% power unaccounted for with the water flowrate computed power.  It is therefore suspected that the higher pressure head delivered by one pump causes turbulence losses in the flow path of another pump.

  • Matching pressure head pump speed control

The single pump performance data are calibrated again this time focusing on the pressure head relationship with the daily water flowrate.  The calibrated pump curves for pressure head vs water flowrate are computed in the same way statistically.  It is worth to note that although the pressure gauge values seem to be constant in relation to the ODR tower level, there are some observable variations when the data is computed against daily water flowrates.  The new pressure head pump curves are used to compute potential power savings if the pressure head delivered by two pumps are equalised to the lower pressure values.  Physically, this means one of the pumps, i.e. the pump delivering higher pressure should be slowed down.  According to pump laws, the power drawn by the pump at its slowed down speed is proportional to square root of the cube of speed ratio.  The result shows about 12% power savings if the assumptions made in different parts of the computational process are correct.

Follow-up projects in 2021

The above investigations are carried out on the initial data set extracted from the historical SCADA data repository.  Some of the data are suspected to be inaccurate.  The context of some information, e.g. pressure gauge value representing what, is also unknown.  Interpretation of the data in relation to the overall system performance is doubtful.  Discussion on the possibility of implementing a speed control algorithm to the motors so that pump pressure head can be adjusted intelligently leads to the conclusion that some changes to the system PLC might be required.

In order to understand what can be done and what needs to be upgraded in the system to achieve the estimated level of power savings, the following student projects are proposed to verify analysis results and to project to possible outcomes:

(1) Experimental pump curves calibration

Accurate pump performance is critical to the accuracy of power savings analysis.  This project aims to re-construct operational performance curves of all 6 high lift pumps for two important performance parameters:

  • Power (electrical power drawn by the pump) vs Daily water flowrate. The water flowrate should range from 0 Ml/d to whatever maximum water flowrate possible for that pump.
  • Pressure head vs Daily water flowrate. The same water flowrate range in (a) will be used.  Preferably, an electronic water pressure sensor should be installed at the outlet pipe of each of the pumps.  However, if that is not feasible due to physical configuration constraints, multiple pressure gauges are still required at different locations of the piping system so that the hydraulic conditions could be verified with theoretical pressure head computation.

The two performance parameters can be measured simultaneously in the same experimental setting.

Two students are required to ensure the experiments are done with reliable processes and data recordings.  It is expected that at least two hours of operating data at different water flowrates, motor speeds and outlet pressure conditions would be required.  Two trips of the two students to Shepperton are planned: Trip 1 will collect majority of data for first trial pump curve compilation, Trip 2 will be a data validation trip as well as collecting any missing data (could be due to situation in Trip 1 or due to findings after analysing first set of data).  Due to distance, an overnight stay in Shepperton for both trips is required.

(2) Computational analysis

The 6 initial investigations are done on Excel manually.  Cells are hard coded and hence the possibilities of analysis method variations are limited.  For example, investigations (3) and (5) are restricted a few days’ operating data due to frequent change of pump use preference.

While follow-on project (1) prepares for the data, this follow-on project (2) will develop an analysis software based on the methods applied in the 6 initial investigations so that when the calibrated pump curves are ready, the numerical analysis can be done quickly.  To prepare for this ideal situation, two activities are required in this student project:

  • Work with GVW data specialist to extract 2020 data in agreed format for both water system and electrical system. The new data will be processed initially in the same way as the 2019 data set to test if there is any inconsistency.
  • Develop analysis software with the primary objective of computing potential power savings. Extending from the primary objective, the software will be developed to allow flexible incorporation of different speed control algorithms to be incorporated into the historical data stream to examine effect of various control methods, i.e. not just pressure matching, but also on possible water flowrate matching, power balancing, etc.

Two students are required to work collaboratively for capturing analysis ideas, system performance data matching, software development.  Most of the project activities are desk based but a short trip to Shepperton to understand the physical system will be most beneficial to the students.  The short trip will be day return.

Future work

The proposed follow-on projects are focused on Shepperton HL Pump Station.  It is expected that the analysis experience and findings such as control algorithms can be applied to other pump stations.  However, to maximise the opportunity for success, this proposal does not include investigative adaptation of the findings to other pump facility settings, nor any other system parameter investigations.

Deliverables:

The deliverables of this project will be staged with an initial focus on data collection.

Deliverable Description Initial Timing Estimate
Commencement Workshop
  • Collect Data from GVW (data for 2019-20)
  • Orientation to the project
  • Historical issues re pump efficiency
  • Overview of work 2020
  • Individual student briefs and research questions
 Feb

Early March
Milestone 1 Project Plan March
Milestone 2 Some preliminary analysis of Data

·       Evaluation of data

 

 May
Milestone 3 Progress report. Early June
Milestone 4 Draft Project Report. Early September
Milestone 5 Project Report. End September
A presentation on the project report. End October

Governance:

This project will be managed through weekly meetings of the students whom will seek draft approval from the Project Managers (Prof. John Mo and Marcos Anastassiou) and through contact with the Project Sponsor (Michael Welk) to ensure work is satisfactory.

 Reporting Requirements:

There will be draft approval and/or progress reporting fortnightly to the project managers.

 Assumptions and Constraints:

Primarily governed by ready access to the relevant SCADA data

 Risks and Minimisation Strategies:

Incomplete data collection resulting in inaccurate recommendations.

  • This will be minimised by collecting as much data as possible from as many sources as possible.

Low data resolution.

  • The highest resolution data available will be sourced to ensure accuracy.

 Guidelines/Standards:

Water Act 1989

Water Industry Act 1994

 

GSP-CSRD 02: Solutions for Cleaner Energy in Central Coast Vietnam

Nina NEW

Project context and aim:

There are at least six power plants potentially located along the coast line of central Vietnam. The cumulative negative impacts will be huge and out of control if all of them are put into operation. This project aims to raise the awareness on negative impacts of coal production, promote cleaner energy, and encourage relevant agencies to be transparent in energy demand investigation.

Project tasks:

  • Desk study (literature review) on coal power development in the Mekong region and Vietnam and its impacts on human health and the environment.
  • Engineering solutions for mitigating the negative impacts of coal power production.
  • Recommend alternations for cleaner energy in Vietnam.

 Project deliverable:

 No. Main Deliverable Description Estimated Timing
1 Project Plan Students discuss with RMIT academic supervisors and CSRD about a detailed project plan. May 2020[1]
2 Literature Review in Melbourne Students review relevant literature. May-June, 2020
3 Field Work in Hue, Vietnam

 

 Students travel to Vietnam to collect data, analyze data and write the report.

Note: Travel dates are flexible.

 July-October 2020 (minimum 12 weeks)
6 Final report Final Report and Presentation on research findings. Oct/Nov 2020

 

Funding:

  • Students will receive a semester grant from New Colombo Plan funding to cover international air tickets and other expenses in Vietnam.
  • Only undergraduate Australian citizens are eligible for project funding.

Applications:

  • Students submit CVs and latest academic transcripts to Nina Nguyen at: nina.nguyen@rmit.edu.au

[1] the timeline of the project is currently scheduled for semester 2 of 2020. It can be changed depending on students’ enrolment at RMIT.

 

GSP-PHA 02: Food Waste Management at Hotels in Phuket, Thailand

Nina NEW
GSP-PHA 02: Food Waste Management at Hotels in Phuket, Thailand

BACKGROUND:        

The Phuket Hotels Association (PHA) is dedicated to promoting the island as a quality destination for international travelers from all walks of life.

Today, PHA has over 70 members comprising small boutique hotels to large international chains who have joined together to promote the island as Brand Phuket, to raise money to educate local Phuket residents though the association’s scholarship fund, and assist and educate with the environmental best practices to reduce any harmful impact that tourism has on the island.

In October 2019, PHA engaged two Master of Environmental Science and Technology students from RMIT University in a project to examine the status of waste management practices at hotels in Phuket. The project focused on single-use plastic waste and recognized food waste as an important issue for the hotels to tackle with in 2020.

PROJECT AIM:

This project aims to improve food waste management practices at PHA’s member hotels. The project consists of two parts:

Part 1: Review of food waste management practices at the participating hotels in Phuket. The review should cover, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Waste collection and disposal;
  • Weights or volume (MASS);
  • Handling & sorting;
  • Auditing;
  • Staff and Visitors’ awareness;
  • Policy and guidelines from the hotels and local authorities.

Part 2: Developing guidelines for food waste management at hotels in Phuket:

  • Identify areas for improvement
  • Set a benchmark for food waste management practice
  • Recommendations

DELIVERABLES:

No. Main Deliverable Description Estimated Timing
1 Project Plan Students discuss with PHA and university academic supervisors about a detailed project plan. February 2020
2 Literature Review Students work under their academic supervisors to review relevant literature. March – April 2020
3 Data Collection/ Site visit A trip to Phuket

Students collect data through a fieldtrip to Phuket with support from PHA and its member hotels.

 

Students present initial observations and discuss best practices at a seminar/workshop at the end of the fieldtrip.

 1-14/7/2020
4 Data Analysis Students analyses data and develop guidelines for food waste management at hotels in PHA. July – September 2020
5 Draft report Draft Report September 2020
6 Final report Final Report October 2020
7 Presentation Presentation on research findings. October 2020

Note: The outcomes and recommendations should be simple, economically viable and well documented with photographs, so it is easy for other hotels to adopt as “best practices”.

WORK METHOD:

  • Students will be selected from relevant Honours and Masters programs at RMIT.
  • RMIT academic supervisors help students identify learning objectives at the start of the project, provide them with technical advice during the project implementation, and evaluate their work at the end of the project.
  • PHA will appoint the contact person who help students access to data at the hotels in Phuket.

FUNDING/FELLOWSHIP:

  • RMIT University will help Australian students access travel grants to fly to Phuket and cover the insurance for the students during the time they stay in Phuket to implement this project.
  • Possible funding will be sourced from PHA members to cover local cost such as food, transportation, accommodation and other related costs in Phuket.

DESIRED STUDENT ATTRIBUTES:

Selection criteria includes:

  • Relevant experience and background in waste management
  • Ability to conduct research including field surveys
  • Customer service and communications skills (need to communicate with different people)

SELECTION PROCESS:

  • Students being interested in this projects and meet the above attributes are required to submit their CVs and academic transcript to nguyen@rmit.edu.au

GSP – INES – Assessment of Toxic Chemicals in Industrial Sludge, Their Potential Impact on Ecosystem, and an Eco-friendly Remediation Method for Those Materials in Vietnam

Nina NEW

BACKGROUND:        

Industrialization in Vietnam has remarkably increased the emission of toxic chemicals as part of the production processes. Untreated or poorly treated industrial waste could destroy the environment, e.g, the Formosa environmental disaster in 2016. Even when the industrial waste is treated in wastewater treatment plants, some of the chemicals such as heavy metals persist and deposit in the sludge.  If not handled carefully, the industrial sludge will be a source of pollution for soil (in case of land application) or water resource (in case of landfill disposal), which may cause a health risk for the population. In addition, the sludge is also a major environmental pressure for the landfill, because of their large volume. However, there is no study that systematically assess the level of toxic elements in industrial sludges and sustainable remediation methods for those materials in Vietnam.

A research team from School of Environmental Science and Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology (INES) and Hanoi University of Science, Vietnam National University (VNU-HUS) has proposed a project which aims to i) collect and measure the level of toxic elements (As, Hg, Cu, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn) in industrial sludge collected in different industrial zones in the North of Vietnam; ii) identify the possible sources of those elements; iii) assess the potential impact of applying those sludge to landfills in the surrounding regions; and iv) to assess the potential of industrial sludge elimination using eco-friendly methods.

Sludge samples will be collected using a standardized protocol to ensure the representativeness. The samples will be analyzed by sensitive ICP-MS method and other advanced equipment. The obtained data will be analyzed together with the survey information about the types of industries presence in the studied industrial zones to identify the possible sources for consideration. Next, we will apply the latest modelling approach to assess the potential impact of disposing the sludge to surrounding farmlands, including leaching potential and degrading soil quality. Finally, we will assess the potential of toxic metal elimination from sludge using biodegradable substances as the sustainable and friendly remediation method for those materials.

AIM:

INES and VNU-HUS wish to engage RMIT students in the following research activities:

•        Assessing the level of toxic heavy metals in industrial sludges in different industrial parks in the North of Vietnam

–        Monitoring the distribution of toxic heavy metals in industrial sludge in industrial areas. Sampling scheme will be designed to cover some areas in the North of Vietnam with a large number of samples and rapid analysis.

–        Establishing a database containing the spatial and seasonal distribution of toxic heavy metals in the industrial sludges in the studied areas and identify the sources of heavy metal contamination.

–        As, Hg, Cu, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations with particle size, pointing to anthropogenic/pyrogenic possible sources of these heavy metals in the sludge. Enrichment factors (EF) of heavy metals can be calculated also.

•        Assessing the potential impact of applying the sludge to landfill.

–        Evaluating the pollution situation in the industrial sludges in the North of Vietnam and comparing it with levels in different areas.

–        Evaluating the effects of the industrial sludge on soil chemical and microbial characteristics.

DELIVERABLES:

No. Main Deliverable Description Estimated Timing
1 Project Plan Students discuss with INES and academic supervisors about a detailed project plan. June 2020
2 Literature Review Students work under their academic supervisors and field supervisors (from INES) to review relevant literature. July 2020
4 Data Collection and Analysis in Vietnam Under the facilitation and supervision of the research team, students collect data samples and analyze data using the labs at INES and/or VNU-HUS August – September 2020
5 Draft report Draft Report October 2020
6 Final report Final Report End of October 2020
7 Presentation Presentation on research findings. End of October 2020

WORK METHOD:

  • Students will be selected from relevant programs at RMIT (i.e. environmental science and chemical engineering);
  • RMIT academic supervisors help students identify learning objectives at the start of the project, provide them with technical advice during the project implementation, and evaluate their work at the end of the project.
  • Students conduct the research in Vietnam: (i) desktop research based on published data; and (ii) experiment.
  • INES research team will appoint a supervisor (field supervisor) who helps students access to data and research facilities at INES and/or VNU-HUS..

FUNDING:

  • Australian undergraduate students may be eligible for NCP semester grants to cover all travel costs to Vietnam during the project time.
  • Postgraduate students may be still considered but will have to pay all the travel costs by themselves.

Thermal Oil Heating System Energy Balance: Spirit of Tasmania Vessels

Nina NEW
Thermal Oil Heating System Energy Balance: Spirit of Tasmania Vessels

1.0 Background

T.T.Line operate two vessels “Spirit of Tasmania I” and Spirit of Tasmania II” on the Bass Strait passenger and freight trade.

The vessels were built twenty years ago and due to recent legislative changes have been required to change the fuel type used for propulsion and powering the vessel.

This new fuel type ‘Low Sulphur Fuel Oil” has resulted in operational changes being made on the vessel that effect the “Heating Load“ requirements of the installed Thermal Oil Heating System.

The thermal oil heating system on the vessels provides heating for hotel services, auxiliary equipment and most importantly heating required for burning traditional ‘bunker fuels’ in the ships diesel engines.

The low sulphur fuel oil now in use does not require as much heating but how much less and how do we quantify the savings?

2.0 Project Aim

The project aim is to undertake an energy balance on the thermal oil heating system. First becoming familiar with that system. Further taking real measurements on the vessels under varying operational conditions to determine the heat load under port and sea conditions.

The thermal oil system is heated by two waste heat Exhaust Gas Economisers at sea and two Thermal Oil Boilers in port.

The project will aim to quantify the minimum and maximum heat load in port and at sea on the thermal oil heating system.

Students will be required to spend time on the vessels at sea (overnight sailings) and in port. All costs for travel will be covered by T.T.Line. Students would be expected to visit T.T.Line Offices at Station Pier where desk space will be provided.

Dependent on the outcomes T.T.Line may well engage RMIT to carry out further studies on energy usage throughout the vessel focusing on electrical generation and propulsion systems.

3.0  Key Research Questions:

  • How much has been saved in energy, fuel consumption and greenhouse gas terms due to the reduction in ‘fuel heating’ as a result of burning low sulphur fuel oil?
  • Can any improvements be made to the 20 year old Thermal Oil System to optimise its performance due to the reduced demand for heating?
  • Are there any operational changes that could be effected due to the reduced heating demand?
  • Can the thermal oil system be heated to a temperature lower than 190 degrees Celsius? Traditionally the heating temperature has been kept well above the dew point of Sulphur Dioxide to prevent the formation of Sulphuric Acid on the waste heat exhaust gas economiser tubes.
  • Knowing what we know now, are there any new technologies that could be implemented to make further savings?

4.0  Student Attributes:

Students must be self-starters, information will be provided in the form of PDF drawings, printed manuals and so forth remembering that the vessels were constructed twenty years ago. Students will be expected to extract the required information by thoroughly examining the available information.

Ship and shore staff will assist the students in gathering the information required. Students must be prepared to ‘crawl through’ the vessel with ships staff to gather information.

Students will be inducted on the vessels and expected to comply with T.T.Line OH&S procedures at all times.

 

GSP-NCP Japan-03: Identifying Options for Re-use of Sediment Residue from Drinking Water Treatment in Greater Osaka, Japan

e43285 NEW
GSP-NCP Japan-03: Identifying Options for Re-use of Sediment Residue from Drinking Water Treatment in Greater Osaka, Japan

NEW COLOMBO PLAN (NCP) 2020: SMART WATER SUPPLY AND RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE KANSAI REGION OF JAPAN

Project Background

Osaka Water Supply Authority (OWSA), a special local public entity, supplies tap water and industrial water to homes, schools, commercial enterprises and industrial customers as a bulk water supplier to 42 municipalities (excluding Osaka City) in the Osaka Prefecture.  OWSA operates Japan’s largest single drinking water treatment plant as well as other drinking water treatment plants. OWSA also operates industrial water supply service, act as an industry partner.

Tap Water Supply:

OWSA supplies about 70% of the tap water to the residents of Osaka Prefecture (other than those in Osaka City).
– Daily Water Supply Capacity: 2,330,000㎥
– Annual Water Supply: Approx. 530 million ㎥
– Total Conduit Length: 565㎞

Industrial Water Supply

OWSA directly supplies industrial water to about 440 companies in Osaka Prefecture for cooling, washing, and other industrial applications.
– Daily Water Supply Capacity: 800,000㎥
– Annual Water Supply: Approx. 105 million ㎥
– Total Conduit Length: 524㎞

More information about public water supply system in Osaka can be found here: https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsa-osaka.jp%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cf62c11cb3ff940d9552808d77adfbd6e%7Cd1323671cdbe4417b4d4bdb24b51316b%7C0%7C0%7C637112973751829513&sdata=H%2Fx95HrdSSEzoo%2BpVs5sw9z3TdhxHAkOq3x6QlZaS6s%3D&reserved=0

OWSA shall engage RMIT students in a project examining local catchments and sediment residue.

Students will undertake a two-week field trip to Osaka Japan, (20 June-3 July 2020) where they will experience state of the art water treatment process from OWSA and conduct some experiments with new photocatalysis materials at Osaka University.

Project Objective

This project aims to identify options for reusing of sediment residue from drinking water treatment in Greater Osaka, Japan.

 Deliverables:

 The deliverables of this project will be staged with an initial focus on data collection.

Deliverable Description Initial Timing Estimate
Introductory Workshop ·       Introduction on the program and its projects

·       Kick-off the projects

·       Discuss on next steps

 Late February 2021
Project Plan Student project plan and return brief March 2021
Capstone part A ·       Review drinking water treatment technology, especially turbidity removal

·       Assess flocculation technologies used for rapid sediment removal Identify examples of recycling of sediment derived from drinking water treatment systems, e.g. bricks, tiles, concrete.

 April and May 2021
Field-trip Site visit and experiments in Osaka:

·       Week 1: Internship experience at a water treatment plan in Greater Osaka;

·       Week 2: Visit selected key water catchment sites in greater Osaka, including water treatment plants.

 20/06/2021 – 03/07/2021
Progress report Progress report July 2021
Capstone part B ·       Prepare a report on the project topic using literature review from semester 1, data analysis and field investigations. July to September 2020
Draft report(s) Draft report(s) End September 2021
Final report ·       A presentation on the project report.

·       Final report

 End October 2021

 

Governance:

This project will be managed through regular meetings between students, the academic supervisor and the project manager to ensure the work is undertaken in accordance with the project plan.

This project will be supervised by Associate Professor John Smith.

Assumptions and Constraints:

 Site specific data will be available and accessible to students on the project.

 Risks and Minimisation Strategies:

 Incomplete data collection resulting in inaccurate recommendations.

  • This will be minimised by collecting as much data as possible from as many sources as possible early on.
  • The highest resolution data available will be sourced to ensure accuracy.

Student attributes:

Students should have a passion for water and practical/civil/environmental engineering, a broad understanding of water storage and treatment processes and (or a willingness to learn) and a desire to work in a fast moving and dynamic team.

The pre-requisite is to have completed 3rd year engineering

 Number of students:

This project can be available to civil and/ or environmental engineering students.

Total of 8 students are required for this project.

Application process:

  • Students submit expression of interests including a CV and latest academic transcript to the Greenhouse and Sustainability Program.
  • Shortlisted students will be invited to an interview
  • Shortlisted students are subject to approval from the Japanese partner.
  • Deadline for applications: 28/02/2020

Funding:

  • Most of the travel costs will be covered by New Colombo Plan for eligible students[1].
  • Students may be required to make a small contribution (approx. 500AUD) to cover costs.

[1] Undergraduate students are to be Australian citizens who have never received any NCP short-term grants before.

GSP NCP Japan-02: Assessing River Water Turbidity and Its Impacts on Drinking Water Treatment in Greater Osaka, Japan.

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GSP NCP Japan-02: Assessing River Water Turbidity and Its Impacts on Drinking Water Treatment in Greater Osaka, Japan.

NEW COLOMBO PLAN (NCP) 2020: SMART WATER SUPPLY AND RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE KANSAI REGION OF JAPAN

Project Background          

Osaka Water Supply Authority (OWSA), a special local public entity, supplies tap water and industrial water to homes, schools, commercial enterprises and industrial customers as a bulk water supplier to 42 municipalities (excluding Osaka City) in the Osaka Prefecture.  OWSA operates Japan’s largest single drinking water treatment plant as well as other drinking water treatment plants. OWSA also operates industrial water supply service, act as an industry partner.

Tap Water Supply:

OWSA supplies about 70% of the tap water to the residents of Osaka Prefecture (other than those in Osaka City).
– Daily Water Supply Capacity: 2,330,000㎥
– Annual Water Supply: Approx. 530 million ㎥
– Total Conduit Length: 565㎞

Industrial Water Supply:

OWSA directly supplies industrial water to about 440 companies in Osaka Prefecture for cooling, washing, and other industrial applications.
– Daily Water Supply Capacity: 800,000㎥
– Annual Water Supply: Approx. 105 million ㎥
– Total Conduit Length: 524㎞

More information about public water supply system in Osaka can be found here: https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsa-osaka.jp%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cf62c11cb3ff940d9552808d77adfbd6e%7Cd1323671cdbe4417b4d4bdb24b51316b%7C0%7C0%7C637112973751829513&sdata=H%2Fx95HrdSSEzoo%2BpVs5sw9z3TdhxHAkOq3x6QlZaS6s%3D&reserved=0

OWSA shall engage RMIT students in a project examining local catchments and water tubidity.

Students will undertake a two-week field trip to Osaka Japan, (20 June-3 July 2020) where they will experience state of the art water treatment process from OWSA and conduct some experiments with new photocatalysis materials at Osaka University.

Project Objective

Suspended solids (turbidity) in catchments varies according to soil conditions, land use, seasonal fluctuations, and river flow interventions such as dams.  This project will assess how turbidity conditions are likely to affect water treatment in Osaka into the future as climate, population and land-use changes.

 Deliverables:

 The deliverables of this project will be staged with an initial focus on data collection.

Deliverable Description Initial Timing Estimate
Introductory Workshop ·       Introduction on the program and its projects

·       Kick-off the projects

·       Discuss on next steps

 Late February 2021
Project Plan Project Plan and return brief March 2021
Capstone part A ·       Collate detailed data on the catchment and river system(s) used for water supply in the greater Osaka region.

·       Review the role of dams and other flood control measures on river water turbidity Review drinking water treatment technology, especially turbidity removal

 April and May 2021
Field-trip Site visit and experiments in Osaka:

·       Week 1: Internship experience at a water treatment plan in Greater Osaka;

·       Week 2: Visit selected key water catchment sites in greater Osaka, including a dam under construction.

 20/06/2021 – 03/07/2021
Progress report Progress report July 2021
Capstone part B ·       Prepare a report on the project topic using literature review from semester 1, data analysis and field investigations. July to September 2021
Draft report(s) Draft report(s) End September 2021
Final report ·       A presentation on the project report.

·       Final report

 End October 2021

Governance:

This project will be managed through regular meetings between students, the academic supervisor and the project manager to ensure the work is undertaken in accordance with the project plan.

This project will be supervised by Associate Professor John Smith.

Assumptions and Constraints:

Site specific data will be available and accessible to students on the project.

 Risks and Minimisation Strategies:

 Incomplete data collection resulting in inaccurate recommendations.

  • This will be minimised by collecting as much data as possible from as many sources as possible early on.
  • The highest resolution data available will be sourced to ensure accuracy.

 Student attributes:

Students should have a passion for water and practical/civil/environmental engineering, a broad understanding of water storage and treatment processes and (or a willingness to learn) and a desire to work in a fast moving and dynamic team.

The pre-requisite is to have completed 3rd year engineering

Number of students:

This project can be available to civil and/ or environmental engineering students.

Total of 8 students are required for this project.

Application process:

  • Students submit expression of interests including a CV and latest academic transcript to the Greenhouse and Sustainability Program.
  • Shortlisted students will be invited to an interview
  • Shortlisted students are subject to approval from the Japanese partner.
  • Deadline for applications: 28/02/2020

Funding:

  • Most of the travel costs will be covered by New Colombo Plan for eligible students[1].
  • Students may be required to make a small contribution (approx. 500AUD) to cover costs.

[1] Undergraduate students are to be Australian citizens who have never received any NCP short-term grants before.

GSP-NCP Japan-01: Developing Novel Nano-photocatalytic Materials for Water Treatment

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GSP-NCP Japan-01: Developing Novel Nano-photocatalytic Materials for Water Treatment

NEW COLOMBO PLAN (NCP) 2020: SMART WATER SUPPLY AND RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE KANSAI REGION OF JAPAN

Project Background

Osaka Water Supply Authority (OWSA), a special local public entity, supplies tap water and industrial water to homes, schools, commercial enterprises and industrial customers as a bulk water supplier to 42 municipalities (excluding Osaka City) in the Osaka Prefecture.  OWSA operates Japan’s largest single drinking water treatment plant as well as other drinking water treatment plants. OWSA also operates industrial water supply service, and acts as an industry partner.

Tap Water Supply:

OWSA supplies about 70% of the tap water to the residents of Osaka Prefecture (other than those in Osaka City).
– Daily Water Supply Capacity: 2,330,000㎥
– Annual Water Supply: Approx. 530 million ㎥
– Total Conduit Length: 565㎞

Industrial Water Supply:

OWSA directly supplies industrial water to about 440 companies in Osaka Prefecture for cooling, washing, and other industrial applications.
– Daily Water Supply Capacity: 800,000㎥
– Annual Water Supply: Approx. 105 million ㎥
– Total Conduit Length: 524㎞

More information about public water supply system in Osaka can be found here: https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsa-osaka.jp%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cf62c11cb3ff940d9552808d77adfbd6e%7Cd1323671cdbe4417b4d4bdb24b51316b%7C0%7C0%7C637112973751829513&sdata=H%2Fx95HrdSSEzoo%2BpVs5sw9z3TdhxHAkOq3x6QlZaS6s%3D&reserved=0

OWSA  shall engage RMIT students in a project to develop novel nano-photocatalytic materials for water treatment in Osaka Prefecture.

Students will undertake a two-week field trip to Osaka Japan, (20 June-3 July 2020) where they will experience state of the art water treatment process from OWSA and conduct some experiments with new photocatalysis materials at Osaka University.

Project Objective

Water purification process such as decomposition of organic substances in water is one of the most expensive and time-consuming processes required to provide drinkable water. Photocatalytic water purification has recently received considerable interest and is used in the Kansai region because it can remove organic substances in water, at low cost and with long durability.

This project aims to develop novel low-cost photocatalytic nanomaterials for water purification.

 Deliverables

 The deliverables of this project will be staged with an initial focus on data collection.

Deliverable Description Initial Timing Estimate
Introductory Workshop ·       Introduction to the program and its objectives

·       Kick-off the project

·       Discuss next steps

 Late February 2021
Project Plan Student project plan and return brief March 2021
Capstone part A ·       Identify and understand the types of organic contaminants contained in water at different locations in the world.

·       Conduct experiments to synthesize novel metal oxide nanomaterials and photocatalysis experiments suitable to decompose the identified organic substrate.

 April and May 2021
Field-trip Site visit (20 June-3 July 2020) and experiments in Osaka:

·       Week 1: Internship to learn water purification process in a local water company;

·       Week 2: Conduct of photocatalysis experiments in the labs at Osaka University

 June-July 2021
Progress report Progress report July 2021
Capstone part B ·       Modifying materials structure to improve photocatalytic decomposition efficiently,

·       Prepare a report on the project topic using literature review from semester 1, data analysis and field investigations.

 July to September 2021
Draft report(s) Draft report(s) End September 2021
Final report ·       A presentation on the project report.

·       Final report

 End October 2021

 

Governance:

This project will be managed through regular meetings between students, the academic supervisor and the project manager to ensure the work is undertaken in accordance with the project plan.

This project will be supervised by Professor Yasuhiro Tachibana.

Assumptions and Constraints:

Site specific data will be available and accessible to students on the project.

Risks and Minimisation Strategies:

Incomplete data collection resulting in inaccurate recommendations.

  • This will be minimised by collecting as much data as possible from as many sources as possible early on.
  • The highest resolution data available will be sourced to ensure accuracy.

Student attributes:

Students should have a passion for water and practical/environmental/chemical engineering, a broad understanding of water storage and treatment processes and (or a willingness to learn) and a desire to work in a fast moving and dynamic team.

The pre-requisite is to have completed an undergraduate physical chemistry or materials chemistry course.

Number of students:

This project can be available to chemical, environmental engineering and environmental science/chemistry students.

Total of 8 students are required for this project.

Application process:

  • Students submit expression of interests including a CV and latest academic transcript to the Greenhouse and Sustainability Program.
  • Shortlisted students will be invited to an interview
  • Shortlisted students are subject to approval from the Japanese partner.
  • Deadline for applications: 28/02/2020

Funding:

  • Most of the travel costs will be covered by New Colombo Plan for eligible students[1].
  • Students may be required to make a small contribution (approx. 500AUD) to cover costs.

[1] Undergraduate students are to be Australian citizens who have never received any NCP short-term grants before.

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