Release of hydrogen sulfide under intermittent flow conditions – the potential of simulation models

For engineering purposes it is especially useful to be able to predict and control sewer corrosion rates and odor impacts as well as to design effective measures aiming to reduce effects related to hydrogen sulfide formation and release. Doing so, it is important to use modeling tools that are capable of assessing variations of dissolved oxygen, dissolved sulfide and hydrogen sulfide gas concentrations for a wide range of environmental scenarios. Two such models were assessed: AEROSEPT, an empirical formulation, and WATS, a conceptual and more complex approach. The models were applied to evaluate the effects of transitions between pressure mains and gravity sewers in the air–liquid mass transfer of hydrogen sulfide at the Ericeira sewer system in Portugal. This network is known to have odor and corrosion problems, especially during summer. Despite the unavoidable uncertainties due to the unsteady flow rate and the quantification of air velocity and turbulence, the simulation results obtained with both models have been shown to adequately predict the overall behavior of the system.