Sanitation Community of Practice (SanCop)

Description

Simplified Sewerage Systems: Modelling for design optimisation and the assessment of risk. Abstract The basic purpose of any sanitation system is to isolate people from potentially harmful waste material. Transporting waste material safely in a contained drainage/sewerage system offers users the highest possible protection against disease, particularly in tightly congested peri-urban settlements which are an increasing familiar characteristic of large cities in a rapidly urbanising world. The use of numerical models to assess the suitability and efficiency of water and sanitation systems has been widespread in the developed world since the advent of accessible computing power since the 1960s. The ability to predict flows and the transportation of solids has led to improvements in design and has contributed to government policy on drain and sewer sizing and adoption. The ability to predict performance and expand limits takes on an extra significance under ultra low water usage criteria, such as those available in unplanned peri-urban settings. Under these conditions, small bore, simplified sewerage systems have particular advantages over conventional system, both in terms of cost and the ability to transport waste away from habitable space. A case study of a settlement in Angola is used in this presentation to illustrate how a predictive model can contribute to design optimisation and serve as a risk assessment tool for the likely occurrences of blockages and system failures.

Period	19 Apr 2013
Event type	Seminar
Location	London, United Kingdom