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Automated Design for New Sewer Systems

InfoSewer delivers advanced design functionality allowing users to quickly and reliably design new sewer collection systems that consider standard design criteria such as flow depth-to-pipe diameter ratios, velocity, slope, soil cover depth, and pipe crown drop. Using user-input manhole locations, InfoSewer calculates the optimal pipe size and slope, invert elevation of conduits and manholes, soil cover depths at both ends of each pipe section, and cost of excavation and reinstatement to meet target design criteria. Results can be reviewed using profile plots, color coding of sewer maps, or comprehensive tabular reports. They can then be automatically updated in the model database, simplifying the model building process.

Load Allocator Fully Supports ArcGIS Definition Queries

Working with huge data sets as part of your model build process is no longer an issue. InfoSewer and all associated Suite Modules now fully support ArcGIS Definition Queries. This allows master planners and model builders to quickly use any subset of GIS data with blazing speed in relation to loading and using entire GIS data sets. This is especially important in regards to use of the Load Allocator. In a typical large system, there may be many thousands and 10's of thousands of meter records (in the largest cases multiple 100's of thousands). When water meter records are not available for a sewer system, it is typical to have ERUs (or Equivalent Residential Units) to identify Sanitary Sewer flow loads.

Allocating loads for these huge numbers of meters or ERUs can be extremely time consuming. Using a simple Definition Query to identify only meters that meet your needs i.e. either commercial, residential, industrial, and others; or only ones that match a geographical areas such as each pressure zone, City A out of a County's worth of meter data, or other geographical data; are a couple instances of where this new capability will save hours, days, or weeks of manipulation of model background data.

Population Based Peaking Curve

InfoSewer provides several approaches to peak flows for steady state analysis and design simulations. The modeler could choose equation based peaking approaches (e.g., Federov equation, Harman and Babbitt equation) or curve based peaking approaches. Two peaking curves are available, flow based peaking curve and population based peaking curve. Using the flow based peaking curve, one can supply peak flows as a function of base flows. The population based peaking curve represents peaking multiplier as a function of number of population served. This is a method of choice if the modeler wishes to use different peaking equations depending on the number of population.

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The Colorado Urban Hydrograph Procedure

The Colorado Urban Hydrograph Procedure (CUHP) uses the equations and procedures presented in the Urban Drainage Criteria Manual (USDCM) of the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District (UDFCD). These equations relate the hydrograph parameters to catchment properties to determine shape of the CUHP.
 
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Infiltration Losses

During storm events, some of the rainfall is lost in the form of infiltration and depression/retention storage depending on soil type, land use, and topographic conditions of the modeled catchment. InfoSewer/Pro estimates part of rainfall that is lost in the form of infiltration (Horton's method) and depression/retention storage, and uses the resulting effective (excess) rainfall to determine runoff hydrograph.
Dynamic Water Quality Modeling

The purpose of the dynamic quality model is to simulate hydrogen sulfide generation, degradation and release in both gravity and pressure mains; rates of microbially-induced corrosion; sediment transport and deposition; time of concentration; biochemical oxygen demand; pollutant loading and buildup, as well as individual domestic, commercial and industrial contributions, and transport. Seven different state-of-the-art types of quality analyses can be carried out by InfoSewer and are explained below.


Hydrogen Sulfide

Hydrogen sulfide is the most common odorous gas found in municipal wastewater collection and treatment systems. Colorless, emitting a characteristic odor of rotten eggs, the gas is extremely toxic and can lead to significant corrosion problems, pipeline collapses, and even loss of human life. InfoSewer allows users to readily model and analyze entire sewer collection systems for sulfide generation and corrosion potential under varying conditions anticipated throughout the life of their systems. It enables them to pinpoint odor and corrosion problems, develop effective monitoring programs, alert plant operators and sewer maintenance workers to potential danger and the need to observe safety practices, and implement the most effective control system. (The most common methods for control of hydrogen sulfide are ventilation and scrubbing, and chemical injection.) Users can evaluate alternative pipeline profiles to minimize turbulence, low velocities, long retention times and other hydraulic conditions that promote sulfide buildup. They can also analyze the impact of diversions, future flows, and changes in wastewater characteristics before potentially costly decisions are made.

Corrosion Predictor

Corrosion is one of the primary reasons that existing sewer systems lose their structural integrity. Corroded sewer pipes may allow greater inflow and infiltration into the collection systems, further deteriorating their reliability by causing undesirable phenomena such as surcharges and overflows, ultimately requiring premature capacity augmentation or pipe replacement. Corrosion of unprotected concrete or metal surfaces is primarily due to the production of sulfuric acid in sewer systems through oxidation of hydrogen sulfide gas by bacterial action on the exposed surfaces under aerobic conditions. Corrosion Predictor (InfoSewer Pro) lets you readily model and analyze your entire sewer collection systems for corrosion potential under varying conditions anticipated throughout their useful life. It enables you to pinpoint corrosion problems, specify corrosion resistant materials or select other forms of corrosion protection (e.g., protective linings).

Time of Concentration

InfoSewer can model the changes in the age of sewage flow (time of concentration) throughout a collection system. Time of concentration is the time spent by a sewage flow parcel in the network (i.e., the time of flow in the sewerage system). This parameter is useful to address important water quality and safety issues such as generation of sulfide that may occur in a sanitary sewer system, which manifest itself in corrosion and odor issues.

Source Tracing

InfoSewer can perform sophisticated source tracing calculations. Source tracing tracks over time what percent of sewage reaching any pipe or manhole in the network had its origin at a particular source node. The source node can be any manhole in the network, including wet-wells. Source tracing is a useful tool for tracking changes in sewage flow contribution (and associated constituents) over space and time such as predicting the impact of industrial and commercial waste discharges at the treatment plant or within the collection system.

Pollutant Transport

InfoSewer can effectively simulate the transport of dissolved pollutants throughout the sewer collection system. It tracks the movement of conservative constituents (e.g., chloride, bromide, sulfate, boron, sorbed trace metals) flowing through the network over time. The dynamic water quality simulation model is predicated on solving both mass continuity and advective transport based on diffusion wave analogy. This capability is useful in determining the dynamics of blending characteristics and the impact of contaminants on receiving waters.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is the most widely used parameter of organic pollution in sanitary sewer systems. InfoSewer models the rate of BOD oxidation (exertion) throughout the collection system using first-order kinetics with the rate of oxygen utilization being proportional to the difference between the amount of oxygen used and the ultimate BOD.

Sediment Deposition and Transport

Sanitary sewer systems can carry substantial loads of suspended solids (waste solids). These sediments can collect causing blockages (shock loading under periods of low flow) and overflow events, as well as impairing the hydraulic capacity of the sewer pipes (by restricting their flow area and increasing the bed friction resistance). InfoSewer can simulate the transport and gravitational settling (deposition) of sediments (total suspended solids including grit) over time throughout the sewer collection system under varying hydraulic conditions.

Flow/Hydrograph Attenuation (Dynamic Wave)

Flow attenuation in a sewer collection system is the process of reducing the peak flow rate by redistributing the same volume of flow over a longer period of time as a result of friction (resistance), internal storage and diffusion along the sewer pipes. The magnitude of attenuation depends on parameters such as the peak discharge, the curvature of the hydrograph, and the width of flow. InfoSewer uses a distributed Muskingum-Cunge flow routing method based on diffusion analogy, which is capable of accurately predicting hydrograph attenuation or peak flow damping effects (peak subsidence).

Wet Weather Modeling (H2OMAP Sewer Pro)

During peak storms, excessive wet weather flow conditions created in the sewer collection system may lead to hydraulic surcharge of the pipes and even flooding of homes and basements. H2OMAP Sewer Pro can model critical flows resulting from rainfall events under both steady state and dynamic simulations. Peak runoff resulting from a single rainfall event can be computed using the widely recognized Rational Method based on any Intensity-Duration-Frequency curve, or using optimized Synthetic Unit Hydrographs (including Soil Conservation Service dimensionless unit hydrograph, SCS triangular unit hydrograph, and tri-triangular unit hydrograph). A complete runoff hydrograph resulting from single or multiple event rainfalls is generated and dynamically transported along with associated sanitary flows using the highly efficient Muskingum-Cunge flow routing model that expeditiously solves a simplified form of the Saint Venant’s equations.
SCS Dimensionless Unit Hydrograph SCS Triangular Unit Hydrograph
Superimposition of Hydrographs Tri-triangular Unit Hydrograph
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Pumps in Parallel

H2OMAP Sewer allows you to model multiple pumps in parallel, each pump with its own characteristic curve and speed setting. The on-off status and speed setting of each pump can be controlled by time (time into the simulation), wet-well levels or volumes.