A study of control strategies for a clarifier at an industry wastewater treatment plant

Control of clarifier in the activated sludge process is critical for ensuring effective wastewater treatment. This paper is to study appropriate control strategies for a clarifier in an industrial wastewater treatment plant. Five control strategies are proposed, implemented and evaluated in a simulation software (West ). The sludge blanket height and the effluent suspended solids concentration were proposed as the measured variable. The manipulated variable was the quantity of polymer added to the system. The strategies were evaluated in terms of their ability to maintain the sludge blanket height below 1.5m, their polymer requirements, their sensitivity to poor tuning and the required control action.