Energy Optimization of Wastewater Pumping Station

Water Sector is a very important energy consumer. In the Campania Region (Italy), it represents the 3% of the total energy consumption, and it is the 30-40% of the total public energy bill [PEARC, 2009]. The energy consumption of Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) is often high and relevant energy saving potential estimates are available in literature [Castellet, 2016]. Consequently, many authors developed strategies and tools to increase the understanding of plant processes and support the energy efficiency of the plants [Castellet,2018; Torregrossa, 2018]. In WWTPs, pumping stations represents one of the most important energy consumer [Torregrossa, 2017] and consequently their optimization can contribute to improve the energy balance performance of WWTPs. The aim of this manuscript is to propose a model-based approach to optimize the operation of a real WWTP pumping station. A specific case study is analyzed: the South Pumping Plant of the Nocera WWTP. Such system uses about the 20% of the energy consumed by the plant, and, consequently, its operational and energy optimization is mandatory for an efficient management.