MODELING THE OPERATION OF SEPARATION CHAMBERS
Introduction. Separation chambers are designed and built for separate and partially separate sewerage systems. Their main function is to separate the flow of relatively clean water during heavy rain. This allows the discharge of such water without treatment into water bodies or storage tanks. The approach reduces the load of wastewater treatment plants. To design separation chambers, we need to understand how their design features affect the process of flow separation. It is possible to study the hydraulic characteristics of separation chambers of any design with the help of computer simulation. Two designs of separation chambers were investigated: a circular spillway with a full-scale prototype and a spiral spillway proposed by the authors. Methods. The research was based on simulation in the ANSYS CFX finite element analysis software. For each design, a series of five experiments with different incoming flow rates was performed. Results. Models of two types of separation chambers were developed and qualitatively evaluated. The hydraulic characteristics were established and quantified: the uniformity of the flow discharged for treatment and the spillway discharge coefficient. Conclusion. As a result, a principled approach was formed and tested. Using this approach, it is possible to study the hydraulic characteristics of separation chambers of various designs for their further use in the sewerage system.