Water Quality Modeling of Drinking Water Storage Reservoir Noardburgum

N. Wolthek[1]
[1]Vitens NV, Zwolle, The Netherlands
Published in 2013

The water storage reservoir at the WTP Noardburgum is used to even out demand and supply and ensure a stable drinking water production capacity. At the moment the rectangular reservoir has a single pipeline which serves as an inlet during the fill cycle and as an outlet during the draw cycle. This study aims to examine the current mixing characteristics of the reservoir and to investigate possible design improvements to the given configuration to ensure good mixing. The numerical results were validated with a physical scale model and tracer injections. Residence Time Distribution curves were derived and evaluated for a number of baffles with the plug flow configuration. COMSOL Multiphysics® proved to be a valuable and a cost-effective design tool.