Design Issue Analysis and Operation Effect Evaluation of Large-Scale Storage Tank

Abstract

In order to address the issue of combined sewer overflows (CSOs), W city has constructed a large-scale storage tank with a volume of 220,000 m3. The storage tank is planned for CSO control in the near term and stormwater runoff pollution control in the long term. However, the actual operation of the storage tank is unsatisfactory. This paper elucidates the design scheme and operation mode of the tank and analyzes the challenges encountered during its design and operation. A storm water management model (SWMM) model was constructed to simulate the effect of the storage tank working in a combined sewer system (CSS), a separate sewer system (SSS) and a decentralized storage situation. This study determined that during the 2022 rainy season, the actual reduction in pollutants by the storage tank was only about 60% of the designed value. As a result, the inadequate treatment capacity of the downstream wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) resulted in the water being retained in the tank for a long time, leading to unsatisfactory operation outcomes. If the storage tank works in SSS and the problem of water retention can be solved, it could reduce the total runoff volume by 30% and the total amount of pollutants by 40% during the same rainy season. At the same time, under the premise of constant total storage volume, if decentralized storage tanks were used to control runoff pollution, the reduction effect can be increased by up to 11.6% compared with that of the centralized storage.