An Integrated Simulation-based Process Control and Operation Planning (IS-PCOP) System for Marine Oily Wastewater Management

Abstract

The chronic discharge of oily wastewater, mainly including bilge water, offshore produced water and ballast water, has been referred to as a major contributor to marine oil pollution. Although gravity-based treatment techniques have been widely used to separate oil from wastewater, many dissolved toxic organics, particularly Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), are not likely to be effectively removed and may cause severe environmental problems. Further treatment has therefore become necessary for the shipping and offshore oil and gas industries, particularly in the harsh environments (e.g., the Arctic Ocean) where ecosystems are extremely vulnerable. Among many chemical and biological treatment techniques, ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and advanced oxidation techniques have been recently regarded as promising solutions to the removal of PAHs. Such advanced treatment systems, as compared to the traditional ones, are usually lack of in-depth understanding of reaction mechanisms and kinetics, process control requirements, and long-term planning strategies. More particularly, the integration of process control and operation planning has been proven in the literature to greatly reduce process cost and improve system performance. However, such integration is usually complicated by many factors such as the multi-scale nature of decisions, the lack of knowledge of process dynamics and control, and uncertainty. These deficiencies can drastically hinder the widespread application of these advanced treatment systems in the shipping and offshore industries. In response to these knowledge and technique gaps, this research proposes an integrated process control and operation planning system to aid marine oily wastewater management based on experimental study, process modeling, process control, operation planning and their coupling.