1
MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR WATER
PURIFICATION AND FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
5 1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to management support
system and method for water purification and for
wastewater treatment, and particularly to control
management for water purification and wastewater treatment
10 facilities in which a management support plan for water
purification and for wastewater treatment is designed
using supply of electric power as input information to
assist an operation of the plan.
2. Description of the Related Art
15 Due to the introduction of new technology related to
supply of electric power and social factors, the
possibility that supply of electric power becomes
constantly unstable has been recently pointed out. The
followings are examples of factors:
20 - Dispersed power source (smart grid)
- Reduction of electric power supplying capacity
associated with aging and the like of electric power
plants (increase in accident rate and abolishment of
equipment)
25 - Relative shortages of supply due to increase in electric
2
power demand in urban areas
- Exceptional increase in electric power demand due to
abnormal weather
- Management by electric power supply system out of
5 consideration of the peak of electric power demand
Therefore, a management method and system in
consideration of a risk of the quality and quantity of
water caused by such shortages of supply of electric power
has been demanded. Specifically, tap water involves such
10 problems as generation of red water associated with
changes in the flow rate of water delivery and
distribution, temporary reduction of filtering capacity
associated with time changes in the amount of treated
water in a water purification plant, and an increase in
15 raw water turbidity associated with changes in the flow
rate of water intake. Further, sewerage involves such
problems as reduction of capacity of removing organic
substances and nitrogen due to insufficient aeration
relative to the amount of inflow water and reduction of
20 the function of activated sludge (in particular,
nitrifying bacteria) associated with large changes of
aeration in the long term.
On the other hand, local governments that conduct
water supply and sewerage work businesses tend to
25 integrally run the businesses by integrating organizations
3
for the purpose of rationalization of management. Merits
such as flexibility of human resources, sharing of devices
and components, and integration of analysis centers can be
obtained through the integration of organizations.
However, a water purification plant and a wastewater
treatment plant are, in fact, separately operated. This
is because each facility is properly operated in order to
adapt to patterns of demand of tap water and patterns of
inflow to the wastewater treatment plant in a day.
Therefore, the effect of the integration on energy saving
and cost reduction related to the operation is not clear.
The electric power consumption of a pump is large in
a water delivery and distribution process of tap water.
In addition, the electric power consumption of a blower is
large in a biological reaction process of sewerage. The
total electric power consumption of water and wastewater
is about 1% of domestic electric power. Not only is
Energy Use Law requested, but also the awareness of energy
saving and cost reduction is increased from the viewpoint
of the rationalization of management.
Under such circumstances, if a payment structure in
consideration of demand and supply associated with
shortages of supply of electric power, namely, a payment
structure in which the unit price of electric power in the
daytime in summer when the electric power consumption
^HLg&
4
reaches its peak is higher but the unit price at night is
lower is introduced, the water and wastewater whose
electric power consumption reaches its peak in the daytime
are seriously affected. Therefore, it has been required
5 to apply a management method and system concretely leading
to energy saving and cost reduction under the integral
management.
For example, Japan Patent No. 4906799 proposes a
system as an automatic operation control system in a water
10 supply facility in which a monitoring information DB that
stores the quality of water and process data measured by
the water supply facility, an evaluation index DB that
stores a computation equation of an evaluation index
related to the safety of the quality of water, and an
15 operation-amount computation equation DB that stores
plural operation-amount computation equations for
operation control of devices are provided, the evaluation
index is evaluated using these pieces of data, and
selection of the operation-amount computation equation and
20 computation of the operation amount are performed in
accordance with the evaluation index to control the
devices of the water supply facility. Using the technique,
an appropriate equation is selected from plural operationamount
computation equations in accordance with the value
25 of the evaluation index related to the safety of the
5
quality of water to control the operation, for example, to
inject coagulant, so that a risk related to the quality of
water can be avoided.
The technique disclosed in Japan Patent No. 4906799
is a technique to achieve the safety of the quality of
water, namely, a predetermined water quality target in the
water supply facility, and does not consider the effect on
the amount and pressure of water associated with the limit
of electric power and the quality of water derived
therefrom. Further, the technique disclosed in Japan
Patent No. 4906799 targets operation control in a single
plant, and does not suggest operation control of plural
facilities of different kinds, for example, both of a
water purification plant and a sewerage facility.
Further, there are such conventional techniques
related to an operation at the time of electric power
outage as introduction of a generator, water delivery and
distribution through a gravity flow, and temporary
accumulation of inflow sewerage in a sewerage pipe.
However, all techniques only deal with sporadic occurrence
of a trouble in consideration of a single facility, and do
not take measures for constant occurrence.
In view of the above-described circumstances, an
object of the present invention is to provide a management
support system for water purification and for wastewater
c 6
treatment in which an operation plan of water and
wastewater facilities in consideration of supply of
electric power is designed, and a risk of water and
wastewater treatment can be reduced.
5
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a preferred aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a management support system
for water purification and for wastewater treatment that
10 allows a management server to execute a program so that
water supply control and management in a water
purification facility and a water transmission and
distribution facility, and an operation of the amount of
wastewater treatment in a sewerage facility are managed,
15 the management server including: a water supply control
and management/wastewater treatment plan designing unit
that designs a water supply control and management plan
and a wastewater treatment plan in water and wastewater
facilities using data of supply of electric power supplied
20 to the water purification facility, the water transmission
and distribution facility, and the sewerage facility,
water demand prediction data, and sewerage flow rate
prediction data,- a water transmission and distribution
facility control unit that controls the water level and
25 the water delivery pressure of a service reservoir in the
7
water transmission and distribution facility using the
planned data designed by the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan designing unit; and a
blower control unit that controls the air volume of a
blower of the sewerage facility using the planned data
designed by the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan designing unit, all
of which function by executing the program.
According to another preferred aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a management method in a
management support system for water purification and for
wastewater treatment that allows a management server to
execute a program so that water supply control and
management in a water purification facility and a water
transmission and distribution facility, and an operation
of the amount of wastewater treatment in a sewerage
facility are managed, the management server executes the
program to perform: a water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan designing step of
designing a water supply control and management plan and a
wastewater treatment plan in water and wastewater
facilities using data of supply of electric power supplied
to the water purification facility, the water transmission
and distribution facility, and the sewerage facility,
water demand prediction data, and sewerage flow rate
8
prediction data; a water transmission and distribution
facility control step of controlling the water level and
the water delivery pressure of a service reservoir in the
water transmission and distribution facility using the
planned data designed in the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan designing step; and a
blower control step of controlling the air volume of a
blower of the sewerage facility using the planned data
designed in the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan designing step.
According to the present invention, the tap water
facility and the sewerage facility are allowed to
cooperate with each other to deal with the shortages of
supply of electric power, so that a risk of deterioration
in the quality of treated water can be reduced as compared
to individual countermeasures for tap water and wastewater.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a diagram for showing a configuration of a
management support system for water purification and for
wastewater treatment according to an embodiment of the
present invention;
Fig. 2 is a block diagram for showing a
configuration of a management server in the embodiment;
Fig. 3 is a processing flow chart performed by a
9
water supply control and management/wastewater treatment
planning unit in the embodiment;
Fig. 4 is diagrams for conceptually explaining a
water supply control and management/wastewater treatment
plan modification process in the embodiment;
Fig. 5 is a flowchart of the water supply control
and management/wastewater treatment plan modification
process in the embodiment;
Fig. 6A is a diagram for showing a configuration
example of a plan DB 28 in the embodiment;
Fig. 6B is a diagram for showing a configuration
example of the plan DB 28 in the embodiment;
Fig. 7 is a flowchart of a water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan modification process
in another embodiment; and
Fig. 8 is a diagram for showing an example of a
screen of a public relations home page in another
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present
invention will be described using the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows an entire configuration of a management
support system for water purification and for wastewater
10
treatment according to an embodiment.
In the management support system for water
purification and for wastewater treatment, a management
server 1 that manages water and wastewater, a terminal 2
that monitors an operation status of water and wastewater,
an external server 3 that offers electric power
information, an external server 4 that offers weather
information, a water purification facility 200, a water
transmission and distribution facility 201, and a sewerage
facility 100 cooperate with each other, and are connected
to each other through a network 5.
The sewerage facility 100 includes a pipe 102, a
weir 103, a sand settling basin 113, a primary
sedimentation tank 105, an aeration tank 106, a blower 107,
power receiving equipment 108, a generator 10 9, a final
sedimentation tank 110, flow rate measuring equipment 104
that measures the flow rate to the sedimentation tank, and
final effluent quality measuring equipment 111 that
measures the quality of final effluent. In the sewerage
facility 100, sewerage 101 passes through the pipe 102,
and is introduced to the sand settling basin 113 through
the weir 103 that is capable of adjusting the flow rate of
inflow sewerage. Large trash and sand of the sewerage are
removed at the sand settling basin 113, and the sewerage
is then delivered to the primary sedimentation tank 105 in
11
which the sewerage is allowed to gently flow so that fine
trash is separated by sedimentation. In the aeration tank
106, air is supplied from the blower 107 to the sewerage
101 to decompose organic substances in the sewerage 101
5 using microorganisms called activated sludge. The
configuration of the aeration tank 106 differs depending
on substances (organic substances, nitrogen, and
phosphorus) to be removed, and such typical methods as a
conventional activated sludge process (oxic, and removal
10 of organic substances), an AO method (anaerobic-oxic, and
removal of organic substances and phosphorus), an A20
method (anaerobic-anoxic-oxic, and removal of organic
substances, nitrogen, and phosphorus), and an AOAO method
(anaerobic-oxic-anoxic-oxic, and removal of organic
15 substances, nitrogen, and phosphorus) are used.
The electric power of the blower 107 is supplied
from a system in which an external power supply is drawn
and obtained by the power receiving equipment 108 and/or a
system of the generator 109 that generates electricity in
20 the sewerage facility 100. The sewerage treated at the
aeration tank 106 is delivered to the final sedimentation
tank 110, and activated sludge is separated by
sedimentation. The quality of supernatant water obtained
at the final sedimentation tank 110 is measured by the
25 final effluent quality measuring equipment 111, and the
12
supernatant water is then released to rivers as a final
effluent 112.
The external server 3 is a server managed by an
electric power company or a related organization, and
5 offers information related to supply of electric power and
expected electric power consumption on each date and time
in a jurisdiction. The external server 4 is a server
managed by the Meteorological Agency or an organization
that provides a meteorological data distribution service,
10 and offers information related to predictions and actual
values of temperatures, weather, precipitation, humidity,
and the like on each date and time. The management server
1 obtains related information from the external server 4
or 5 or the measuring equipment 104 or 105 through the
15 network 5 to execute a process of managing the water and
wastewater. Information can be input and output using the
terminal 2 by a user of the management support system for
water purification and for wastewater treatment, and the
status of the water and wastewater can be monitored.
20 The water purification facility 200 is a facility
that covers from water intake to a water purification
plant, and is managed by the same organization as the
sewerage facility 100 while receiving supply of electric
power from the same electric power company. The water
25 purification facility 200 takes raw water from water
13
sources such as rivers to be delivered to the water
purification plant. A coagulation sedimentation/sand
filtration process and disinfection using a chlorine agent
are performed in the water purification plant, and tap
water can be produced. The tap water is reserved in a
clear water reservoir in the water purification plant.
The water transmission and distribution facility 201
has a function of delivering the tap water of the clear
water reservoir to a service reservoir in a supply area
under a water delivery pressure using a pump or through a
gravity flow. The water levels (water volumes) of the
clear water reservoir and the service reservoir are
changed due to a balance between demand and supply, and
are kept at, at least, a certain level or higher in normal
times (namely, when supply of electric power is
sufficient).
The final effluent quality measuring equipment 111
in the sewerage facility 100 measures items using the
indexes of the concentration of organic substances such as
chemical oxygen demand and ultraviolet absorption
spectrophotometry (A=260nm). Accordingly, a wastewater
treatment performance by the activated sludge in the
aeration tank 106 can be confirmed.
Fig. 2 shows a configuration of the management
server 1.
14
The management server 1 includes an IF (interface)
21 that is connected to the network 5, a CPU 22 that
executes a program to realize a predetermined function, a
memory 23 that stores therein programs and data, a data
5 input/output terminal 24 through which a user performs
input/output operations using the management server 1, and
a process DB 25, a water quality DB 26, an external server
DB 27, and a plan DB 28 as databases (DBs) formed in a
storage device.
10 The IF 21 obtains, through the network 5, data
(process data) such as water quality data by the final
effluent quality measuring equipment 111 of the sewerage
facility 100, operation conditions of the blower 107,
inflow sewerage flow rate data measured by the flow rate
15 measuring equipment 104, a water level in the water
transmission and distribution facility 201, and a water
delivery pressure. Further, the IF 21 obtains electric
power information such as supply of electric power
corresponding to dates and times from the external server
20 3, and weather information such as temperatures
corresponding to dates and times from the external server
4. In addition, the IF 21 transmits control data related
to a management support plan for water purification and
wastewater treatment produced by a process of the CPU 22
25 to the water purification facility 200, the water
15
transmission and distribution facility 201 and the
sewerage facility 100 through the network 5.
The programs unique to the embodiment that are
stored in the memory 23 are executed by the CPU 22 to
realize the respective functions of a data collecting unit
232, a water supply control and management/wastewater
treatment plan designing unit 233, a blower control unit
234, an electric power control unit 235, a water
purification facility control unit 236, and a water
transmission and distribution facility control unit 237.
In this case, the data collecting unit 232 obtains,
through the IF 21, data (process data) such as water
quality data by the final effluent quality measuring
equipment 111 of the sewerage facility 100, operation
conditions of the blower 107, inflow sewerage flow rate
data measured by the flow rate measuring equipment 104, a
water level in the water transmission and distribution
facility 201, and a water delivery pressure. Further, the
data collecting unit 232 obtains electric power
information and weather information together with dates
and times from the external servers 3 and 4.
The water supply control and management/wastewater
treatment plan designing unit 233 retrieves data of each
DB, and designs a water supply control and management plan
and a wastewater treatment plan related to the water
16
purification facility 200, the water transmission and
distribution facility 201, and the sewerage facility 100
in consideration of, especially, supply of electric power
and expected electric power consumption. This process
5 will be described later with reference to Fig. 3.
The blower control unit 234 controls the air volume
of the blower 107, and the electric power control unit 235
controls the generator 109 to supply electric power as
needed. Further, the water purification facility control
10 unit 23 6 controls the amount of water intake in the water
purification facility 200, and the water transmission and
distribution facility control unit 237 controls the water
level of the service reservoir and a water delivery
pressure. As characteristics of the embodiment, any
15 control unit controls on the basis of a water supply
control and management/wastewater treatment plan designed
by the water supply control and management/wastewater
treatment plan designing unit 233.
Together with information of dates and times, days,
20 and holidays, the process DB 25 stores data related to the
corresponding operation conditions of the blower 107, the
air volume of the blower converted from the operation
conditions, an inflow sewerage flow rate, the amount of
water transmission and distribution, the water level and
25 the water delivery pressure in the water transmission and
17
distribution facility 201, and the amount of water intake
in the water purification facility 200. The water quality
DB 26 stores water quality data measured by the final
effluent quality measuring equipment 111.
5 Together with dates and times corresponding to
expected and actual values, the external server DB 2 7
stores data related to supply of electric power and
expected electric power consumption, expected and actual
temperatures, and expected and actual weather obtained
10 from the external servers 3 and 4.
A configuration of the plan DB 28 is shown in each
of Figs. 6A and 6B. In this case, Fig. 6A shows a
configuration example before modifying the plan data, and
Fig. 6B shows a configuration example after the
15 modification. The plan DB 28 stores data such as dates
and times (every hour), temperatures, weather, supply of
electric power (KW), expected electric power consumption
(KW), the amount of water intake (ton/h), the amount of
water delivery (ton/h), a water delivery pressure (Pascal),
20 the water level of the service reservoir (%), electric
power consumption (tap water) (KW), sewerage flow rate
(ton/h), the air volume of the blower (m3/h), electric
power consumption (sewerage) (KW), and electric power
consumption (total).
25 In this case, Fig. 6B shows the plan data after a
18
modification process S313 (= Fig. 5) of Fig. 3. This
process will be described later when referring to Fig. 5.
Fig. 3 shows a processing operation by the water
supply control and management/wastewater treatment plan
designing unit 233.
In the example, a plan in the next 24 hours is
designed. First, in Steps (S) 301 and S302, electric
power prediction information (supply of electric power and
expected electric power consumption) and weather
information (expected temperatures and weather) during the
next 24 hours are obtained from the external server DB 2 7
as data of at least every hour. Next, process data during
the past three years is obtained from the process DB 2 5 in
S303. Then, water quality data within the last 24 hours
is obtained from the water quality DB 26 in S304.
In S305, past process data in the range of the same
month, day and time as the design target is extracted to
use a past operation plan as a reference. The actual
values of the amounts of water transmission and
distribution included in the process data may be averaged
to be used as the predicted value of tap water demand as
it is. However, the actual values may be corrected
depending on information of temperatures and weather
and/or days and holidays. For example, in the case of not
weekends and holidays but weekdays when temperatures are
19
C
higher and weather is nicer as compared to the past, the
predicted value of tap water demand is increased, so that
the accuracy can be improved.
In S306, a water supply control and management
5 primary plan is designed using the predicted value of tap
water demand. For example, the design is set so that the
water level of the service reservoir reaches a
predetermined level or higher in the morning when demand
is increased. Accordingly, shortages of tap water at the
10 peak of demand can be avoided, and the cost can be reduced
by using nighttime inexpensive electric power. Then, the
predicted value of electric power consumption of every
hour related to water purification and water transmission
and distribution is calculated on the basis of the
15 designed water supply control and management primary plan
in S307.
On the other hand, the predicted value of sewerage
inflow is calculated for wastewater treatment in S308.
For example, past data can be used as it is, as similar to
20 the prediction of the water demand. Further, the accuracy
of the predicted value of sewerage inflow can be improved
by correction using the actual and predicted values of
water demand.
A wastewater treatment primary plan is designed
25 using the predicted value of sewerage inflow in S309.
20
Unlike the case of the water purification facility,
sewerage is continuously treated in the aeration tank or
the like in general without accumulating inflow sewerage.
Thus, the amount of treatment in the wastewater treatment
primary plan is made equal to the predicted value of
sewerage inflow. In addition, the predicted value of
electric power consumption of every hour is calculated on
the basis of the wastewater treatment primary plan in S310.
The predicted value of electric power consumption differs
depending on equipment of each facility. There is a case
in which the predicted value can be adjusted in a non-step
manner using an inverter, or a case in which the predicted
value can be adjusted in a stepwise manner by controlling
the number.
Next, the total (Esum) of the predicted values of
electric power consumption of every hour calculated in
S307 and S310 is compared with the upper limit (E) of
electric power consumption at the same hour in S311. In
this case, the upper limit of electric power consumption
corresponds to the total maximum value of the amount of
electric power (El) that is obtained from the power
receiving equipment 108 and is supplied from an electric
power company and the amount of electric power (E2) that
is obtained from the generator 109. It should be noted
that El is appropriately limited in consideration of the
21
supply of electric power (EO) and the predicted electric
power consumption (Epre) obtained in S301. In this case,
the following equations are used.
El=Emax (Epre/E0a)
E=E1+E2
where Emax is the maximum electric power consumption
in the past in the same facilities 108 and 109.
On the other hand, in terms of E2, the amount of
10 supply of every hour differs depending on the type of
equipment used for the generator 109. For example, unless
a storage battery is provided, supply of electric power
cannot be expected at night in solar energy generation.
In wind power generation, it is necessary to lower the
15 degree of dependence because the amount of power
generation is changed depending on the air volume. On the
other hand, diesel electric power generators or gas
engines and gas turbines using digestion gas can stably
supply electric power.
20 Esum and Epre are compared to each other every hour
in S311. As a result, if there is a time zone in which
Esum is larger, the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan is modified to
average the electric power consumption in the range of one
25 day in S313. A concrete example will be described later
22
with reference to Fig. 4 to Fig. 5. On the other hand, in
the case where the conditions of S311 are satisfied (S311:
Yes), the planned values of the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan are output, and the
5 values are stored in the plan DB 2 8 together with the date
and time to complete the process.
Thereafter, the blower control unit 234, the water
purification facility control unit 236, and the water
transmission and distribution facility control unit 237
10 transmit control data based on the planned data stored in
the plan DB 2 8 through the network 5 to control the blower
107, the water purification facility 200, and the water
transmission and distribution facility 201. The electric
power control unit 235 controls the generator 109 in some
15 cases.
Fig. 4 is diagrams for explaining a water supply
control and management/wastewater treatment plan
modification process in S313. Fig. 4(a) shows a water
supply control and management/wastewater treatment primary
20 plan (vertical axis: electric power consumption), Fig.
4(b) shows a water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan (vertical axis:
electric power consumption) after modification, and Fig.
4(c) shows a wastewater treatment (vertical axis: aeration
25 volume by the blower/inflow sewerage flow rate) aeration
23
volume in the plan after modification. The horizontal
axis of each drawing represents times (dates and times).
In Fig. 4(a), the amount of electric power obtained
by totalizing patterns of the electric power consumption
of the water supply control and management and wastewater
treatment has its peak. This peak means behavior
corresponding to the activities of people, and generally
appears between morning and noon. If the electric power
consumption is increased in the time zone in a supply area
of electric power, it is necessary to modify the water
supply control and management/wastewater treatment plan in
the flow of Fig. 3. In this case, the modification
process is performed in the embodiment as shown in Fig.
4(b), so that the both peaks of the water supply control
and management plan (namely, the water supply control and
management in the water purification facility and the
water transmission and distribution facility) and the
wastewater treatment plan (namely, the operation in the
sewerage facility) are lowered and averaged.
The service reservoir is provided for tap water, and
thus it is relatively easy to deal with the water supply
control and management plan. On the other hand, sewerage
is sequentially treated in principle without accumulating
inflow sewerage, and thus it is relatively difficult to
average the electric power consumption. The blower for
24
aeration has a high ratio of electric power consumption in
the wastewater treatment. Accordingly, the sewerage
facility is controlled in such a manner that the air
volume of the blower at the peak is suppressed to decrease
5 the electric power consumption, and for example, the air
volume of the blower relative to the inflow sewerage flow
rate is increased (enhanced) at night, as shown in Fig.
4(C), to deal with a risk in the water treatment
associated with the suppression of the air volume, so that
10 the activity of microorganisms is improved.
The upper limits of the degrees of the suppression
and enhancement of the air volume of the blower are set
using treatment water quality or biological activity on
the basis of the treatment water quality as an index.
15 Further, other than this, it is preferable to set a range
to avoid such troubles as dissolution of activated sludge
due to an excess of the air volume of the blower and
prioritizing of microbial species such as actinomycete
that deteriorates the sedimentation property of the
20 activated sludge in the final sedimentation tank.
Fig. 5 shows a processing flow chart in the water
supply control and management/wastewater treatment plan
modification process in S313.
First, the water delivery pressure in the water
25 transmission and distribution facility 201 is compared
25
with a predetermined value in S501. Here, in terms of the
predetermined value, the hydrostatic pressure at an area
of a water distributing pipe diverged to water supplying
pipes from the water distributing pipe is described as
0.15MPa or higher and 0.74MPa or lower according to the
design criteria for waterworks facilities. Thus, the
predetermined value of the water delivery pressure in the
embodiment may fall within the range, and for example, can
be set at 0.3MPa.
As a result of the comparison, in the case where the
pressure of water transmission and distribution is higher,
the plan is modified to reduce the water delivery pressure
of the tap water in S502, and the flow returns to S307.
On the other hand, in the case where the water
delivery pressure has been sufficiently lowered (S501: No),
the plan is modified to reduce the electric power
consumption with another operation due to the need of
keeping the quality of the service of tap water supply in
an allowable range. For example, the water level of the
service reservoir on the basis of the water supply control
and management plan is compared with a predetermined value
in S503. In this case, the following is the ground of the
predetermined value. The capacity of the service
reservoir corresponds to 8 to 12 hours of maximum water
supply of planned one day. However, appropriate capacity
26
0S.
may be used in accordance with restrictions so that in
particular, a response to an emergency can be realized.
Thus, the predetermined value of the water level of the
service reservoir in the embodiment may be one satisfying
5 such standards, and can be set at, for example, 70% of the
full capacity.
As a result of the comparison, in the case where the
water level is higher (S503: Yes), an operation to lower
the water level of the service reservoir in S504, namely,
10 the plan is modified to reduce the amount of water intake
and/or to reduce the amount of water delivery from the
clear water reservoir to the service reservoir, and the
flow returns to S307.
The above-described modification of the plan can be
15 relatively easily performed on the tap water side, and the
items in the range where the level of the service of tap
water is not affected can be modified. In the case where
the electric power consumption needs to be further reduced,
it is meaningful to modify the plan so that the electric
20 power in the sewerage facility 100 is reduced, especially,
the air volume of the blower is reduced. In the
determination, the air volume of the blower/inflow
sewerage flow rate as an index is compared with a
predetermined value in S505. Here, the following is the
25 ground of the predetermined value. The value of the air
27
volume of the blower/inflow sewerage flow rate differs
depending on the concentration of organic substances in
inflow sewerage, the concentration (MLSS) of activated
sludge in a reaction tank, and a treatment process, and
has a rage of several times to dozen times. Accordingly,
for example, the air volume of the blower/inflow sewerage
flow rate can be set at 4(-) as the predetermined value.
As a result of the comparison, in the case where the
air volume of the blower/inflow sewerage flow rate is
higher than the predetermined value, the plan is modified
to reduce the air volume of the blower (S506).
Further, the inflow sewerage flow rate is compared
with a predetermined value in S507. In this case, the
predetermined value can be set at, for example, 8 0% of the
maximum inflow rate.
As a result of the comparison, in the case where the
inflow sewerage flow rate is higher (S507: Yes), the weir
103 is adjusted to modify the plan so that the amount of
sewerage flowing into the sewerage facility is reduced
(S508). Accordingly, the air volume of the blower
necessary for biological treatment is reduced, resulting
in contribution to reduction of the electric power
consumption. However, sewerage is accumulated in the pipe.
Thus, if the inflow sewerage flow rate is lower than a
predetermined flow rate, overflow of a manhole occurs.
28
Thus, an alert is displayed on the terminal 2 in the stage
of S509 to alert the user.
As a result of the modification process, the planned
data related to the water delivery pressure, the water
level of the service reservoir, the sewerage flow rate,
the air volume of the blower is changed to that shown in
Fig. 6B. Specifically, the water delivery pressure and
the water level of the service reservoir are reduced in
the daytime (around 8:00 to 15:00), and the amount of
water intake and the amount of water delivery are
accordingly reduced in the same time zone. Further, the
sewerage flow rate and the air volume of the blower are
increased at night (around 23:00 to 3:00), and reduced in
the daytime (13:00 to 15:00). In the example of Fig. 6B,
the total electric power consumption of tap water is
reduced, but the total electric power consumption of
sewerage remains the same in the planned data after
modification.
It should be noted that although not described in
the embodiment, as the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan modification process,
a step of determining whether or not the amount of water
intake exceeds a predetermined value is added after S501
or S503. As a result of the determination, in the case
where the amount of water intake exceeds the predetermined
c 29
value, the amount of water intake in the water
purification facility 200 may be controlled under the
control of the water purification facility control unit
236.
5 The tap water facility and the sewerage facility are
allowed to cooperate with each other by the management of
the water supply control and management/wastewater
treatment in the embodiment to deal with the shortages of
supply of electric power, so that a risk of deterioration
10 in the quality of wastewater treatment due to electric
power saving can be reduced as compared to individual
countermeasures. In particular, the processes (S501 to
S504) of water management in the water transmission and
distribution facility 201 are performed first in
15 accordance with the order of the steps of Fig. 5. If the
processes are still insufficient, it is meaningful to
perform the processes (S505 to S508) in the sewerage
facility 100. This is because if the water delivery
pressure and the water level in the water transmission and
20 distribution facility are reduced, the quality of sewerage
is not seriously affected. In addition, the blower in the
sewerage facility is controlled to keep the quality of
sewerage so as not to be largely deteriorated.

25 In a second embodiment, the control of the air
A
30
volume of the blower in the first embodiment is performed
on the basis of a method of wastewater treatment and
measurement of the quality of water in which the
wastewater treatment performance can be evaluated. The
5 blower control aims to recover the function of activated
sludge in the time zone when the electric power limit is
loose.
In order to determine the treatment performance of
activated sludge, the followings are used in the treatment
10 processes:
- Conventional activated sludge process and AO
method: treated water organic substances (chemical oxygen
demand, ultraviolet absorption spectrophotometry, and the
like), or DO/air volume of aeration at an outlet of the
15 aeration tank
- A20 method and AOAO method: nitrifying rate
An increase in the concentration of treated water
organic substances means that biological treatment by
activated sludge is not sufficiently performed. The
20 concentration of treated water organic substances relative
to an aeration rate (blower flow rate/treatment flow rate)
is calculated. In the case where the quality of treated
water is deteriorated as compared to the quality of water
in the past, the aeration is enhanced except for the time
25 zone of electric power limit. Specifically, the air
31
volume of the blower is increased larger than a
predetermined aeration rate before or after the time when
it is determined that the air volume of the blower needs
to be reduced in S505. The air volume is increased within
a range where no adverse effects such as dissolution of
polluted sludge are caused. For example, the air volume
is increased by about 10% of normal times. Further, the
time (period of time) to be increased is about five hours
at the most before the electric power limit starts. Right
after the electric power limit is finished, the air volume
is increased until the quality of treated water is
improved to a normal level.
In advanced processes (the A20 method and the AOAO
method) in which nitrogen and phosphorus are removed
together with organic substances, a nitrifying rate is
used as an index that is related to a process of nitrogen.
This is because microorganisms related to nitrification
are higher than those related to a process of organic
substances in sensitivity to excess or deficiency of
supply of oxygen.
In order to obtain a nitrifying rate, final effluent
quality measuring equipment is provided to measure the
concentration of each of NH3-N, N02-N, and N03-N in an
oxic layer (layer where nitrification is performed) of the
aeration tank 106. The ratio of concentration of nitrate
32
nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen to the concentration of
total nitrogen is measured to obtain a nitrifying rate.
Similarly to the above, in the case where the
performance is deteriorated as compared to the past
5 nitrifying rate while referring to the correlation of the
nitrifying rate to the air volume of the blower, the
aeration is enhanced except for the time zone of the
electric power limit. The amount to be enhanced is
changed in accordance with the degree of deterioration of
10 activity, and the aeration is enhanced by about 10 to 20%
of normal times at the most.
By the management of the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment, the activity of activated
sludge used for wastewater treatment can be maintained
15 without deterioration in addition to the effects of the
first embodiment. Accordingly, the wastewater treatment
performance, especially, the performance of nitrification
and dissolution of organic substances functioning in oxic
conditions is maintained, and the quality of treated water
20 can be satisfied even under the electric power limit.
Further, the air volume of the blower is not enhanced at
the peak of the inflow sewerage flow rate, but is enhanced
in the time zone when the inflow sewerage flow rate is
lower as compared to the peak. Thus, the water can be
25 advantageously treated with a smaller aeration volume.
^•yi
33

A third embodiment will be described with reference
to the processing flow in the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan modification of S313
5 shown in Fig. 7. In the embodiment, when the inflow
sewerage flow rate to the sewerage facility is suppressed
and reduced to a predetermined value, an alert is output
to a user. In addition, the water purification facility
200 or the water transmission and distribution facility
10 201 is controlled to further reduce the electric power.
The processes from S501 to S508 of Fig. 7 are the
same as those in the first embodiment (Fig. 5). When it
is determined that the inflow sewerage flow rate is lower
than the predetermined value in S5 07, extreme measures are
15 taken in S709. The extreme measures include: (1) the
water delivery in the water transmission and distribution
facility 201 is stopped; (2) the water intake in the water
purification facility 200 is stopped (specifically, the
water purification process is stopped); and (3) primary
20 effluent of sewerage is finally discharged in the sewerage
facility. If the tap water remains in the service
reservoir, it is possible to deal with the electric power
limit for a few hours without deteriorating the quality of
water.
25 Further, the information of such extreme measures
34
generated is provided to not only operators of the
management support system for water purification and for
wastewater treatment according to the embodiment, but also
respective users (demanders of water) in areas where tap
water is supplied and sewerage is treated using a server
for public relations (not shown). The server for public
relations is a server that is connected to the network 5
and is managed by, for example, a water and wastewater
administrative bureau.
Fig. 8 shows an example of a screen of a public
relations home page (HP) of the server for public
relations.
The screen includes an alert display section 800, a
trend graph 801 for forecast of supply of electric power,
a water delivery pressure display map 806, a contour 807
for showing future changes in the water delivery pressure
at a selected point, and a table 809 for displaying water
delivery pressures on given dates and times at
preliminarily-selected points.
The trend graph 801 displays a ratio 802 of the
supply of electric power (E0) to the expected electric
power consumption (Epre), electric power consumption 803
on the basis of the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan in which shortages of
supply of electric power are not considered, and electric
35 c
power consumption 8 04 (the value output in S312) on the
basis of the plan in which shortages of supply of electric
power are considered, all of which are described in the
first embodiment and are displayed as actual values until
5 the browsing time and forecast values in the future.
According to the embodiment, in addition to the
effects of the first embodiment, the electric power
consumption is suppressed while stopping the water intake,
water purification, and water delivery, so that the tap
10 water with an appropriate quality meeting the standard can
be continuously supplied even under the stricter electric
power limit.
Further, information such as reduction of the water
delivery pressure associated with the electric power limit
15 is presented to demanders while disclosing the HP for
public relations in the water purification facility 200,
the water transmission and distribution facility 201, or
the sewerage facility 100. Thus, accountability for
demanders can be improved, and each facility can be easily
20 operated due to suppression of demand.
The embodiments of the present invention have been
described above. However, the present invention is not
limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be
variously modified to be carried out.
25 For example, since the electric power consumption
36
C
for the power of the blower is large in sewerage, the air
volume of the blower in the sewerage facility is
suppressed on the basis of the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan in the embodiments.
5 According to another example, not only the control of the
air volume of the blower, but also the control of
equipment and devices that are relatively large in
electric power consumption may be performed in sewerage.
According to the preferred embodiments, the tap
10 water facility and the sewerage facility are allowed to
cooperate with each other to deal with the shortages of
supply of electric power, so that a risk of deterioration
in the quality of treated water can be reduced as compared
to individual countermeasures for tap water and wastewater.
15 Further, the activity of activated sludge used for
wastewater treatment can be maintained without
deterioration. Accordingly, the wastewater treatment
performance, especially, the performance of nitrification
and dissolution of organic substances functioning in oxic
20 conditions is maintained, and the quality of treated water
can be satisfied even under the electric power limit.
Further, the air volume of the blower is not
enhanced at the peak of the inflow sewerage flow rate, but
is enhanced in the time zone when the inflow sewerage flow
25 rate is lower as compared to the peak. Thus, the water
37
can be advantageously treated with a smaller aeration
volume.
Further, the electric power consumption is
suppressed while stopping the water intake, water
purification, and water delivery, so that the tap water
with an appropriate quality meeting the standard can be
continuously supplied even under the stricter electric
power limit.

38
WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A management support system for water
purification and for wastewater treatment that allows a
management server to execute a program so that water
supply control and management in a water purification
facility and a water transmission and distribution
facility, and an operation of the amount of wastewater
treatment in a sewerage facility are managed, the
management server comprising:
a water supply control and management/wastewater
treatment plan designing unit that designs a water supply
control and management plan and a wastewater treatment
plan in water and wastewater facilities using data of
supply of electric power supplied to the water
purification facility, the water transmission and
distribution facility, and the sewerage facility, water
demand prediction data, and sewerage flow rate prediction
data,-
a water transmission and distribution facility
control unit that controls the water level and the water
delivery pressure of a service reservoir in the water
transmission and distribution facility using the planned
data designed by the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan designing unit; and
39
a blower control unit that controls the air volume
of a blower of the sewerage facility using the planned
data designed by the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan designing unit, all
of which function by executing the program.
2. The management support system for water
purification and for wastewater treatment according to
claim 1,
wherein the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan designing unit
calculates a predicted value of electric power consumption
used in the water purification facility, the water
transmission and distribution facility, and the sewerage
facility, and
the water supply control and management/wastewater
treatment plan designing unit compares the calculated
electric power consumption predicted value with the supply
of electric power, and designs a water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan to lower the peak of
the electric power consumption predicted value by
operating the amount of water intake in the water
purification facility, the water delivery pressure and the
amount of water delivery of the water transmission and
distribution facility, and the air volume of the blower
and the inflow sewerage flow rate of the sewerage facility
40
in the case where the result of the comparison shows that
the electric power consumption exceeds the electric power
consumption predicted value.
3. The management support system for water
purification and for wastewater treatment according to
claim 2,
wherein the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan designing unit
compares the air volume of the blower with a predetermined
value, and designs a treatment plan modified to reduce the
air volume of the blower in the case where the result of
the comparison shows that the air volume of the blower is
larger than the predetermined value,
further compares the inflow sewerage flow rate with
a predetermined value, and designs a treatment plan
modified to reduce the inflow sewerage flow rate by a weir
in the case where the result of the comparison shows that
the inflow sewerage flow rate is larger than the
predetermined value,
the blower control unit controls the air volume of
the blower on the basis of data based on the modified
treatment plan, and
the weir of the sewerage facility controls the
inflow sewerage flow rate on the basis of the data based
on the modified treatment plan.
41
4. The management support system for water
purification and for wastewater treatment according to
claim 2,
wherein the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan designing unit
calculates the concentration of organic substances, the
oxygen consumption, or the nitrifying rate of treated
sewerage, and compares the obtained value as an index with
an index value obtained by wastewater treatment in the
past, and
in the case where it is determined that wastewater
treatment performance is deteriorated, the blower control
unit controls the air volume of the blower to increase in
a time zone when the supply of electric power exceeds the
electric power consumption, and
the weir of the sewerage facility controls the
inflow sewerage flow rate to increase.
5. The management support system for water
purification and for wastewater treatment according to
claim 1,
wherein the weir of the sewerage facility includes a
unit of adjusting the inflow sewerage flow rate, the air
volume of the blower is reduced by accumulating sewerage
in a sewerage pipe, and the water intake of the water
purification facility and the water delivery of the water
42 c
transmission and distribution facility are stopped in the
case where the flow rate of sewerage supplied to an
aeration tank is smaller than a predetermined value as
compared to a case in which the flow rate is not adjusted.
5 6. The management support system for water
purification and for wastewater treatment according to any
one of claims 1 to 5,
wherein the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan in the water and
10 wastewater facilities calculated in consideration of
supply of electric power and a water demand predicted
value, and the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan in the water and
wastewater facilities calculated out of consideration of
15 the supply of electric power are disclosed on the Internet.
7. The management support system for water
purification and for wastewater treatment according to any
one of claims 1 to 6,
wherein a plan DB is provided to store the planned
2 0 data designed by the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan designing unit, and
the water transmission and distribution facility
control unit and the blower control unit control using the
planned data stored in the plan DB.
2 5 8. A management method in a management support
43
system for water purification and for wastewater treatment
that allows a management server to execute a program so
that water supply control and management in a water
purification facility and a water transmission and
distribution facility, and an operation of the amount of
wastewater treatment in a sewerage facility are managed,
the management server executing the program to perform:
a water supply control and management/wastewater
treatment plan designing step of designing a water supply
control and management plan and a wastewater treatment
plan in water and wastewater facilities using data of
supply of electric power supplied to the water
purification facility, the water transmission and
distribution facility, and the sewerage facility, water
demand prediction data, and sewerage flow rate prediction
data,-
a water transmission and distribution facility
control step of controlling the water level and the water
delivery pressure of a service reservoir in the water
transmission and distribution facility using the planned
data designed in the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan designing step; and
a blower control step of controlling the air volume
of a blower of the sewerage facility using the planned
data designed in the water supply control and
4ft
44
management/wastewater treatment plan designing step.
9. The management method according to claim 8,
wherein in the water supply control and
management/wastewater treatment plan designing step, a
5 predicted value of electric power consumption used in the
water purification facility, the water transmission and
distribution facility, and the sewerage facility is
calculated, and
in the water supply control and
10 management/wastewater treatment plan designing step, the
calculated electric power consumption predicted value is
compared with the supply of electric power, and a water
supply control and management/wastewater treatment plan to
lower the peak of the electric power consumption predicted
15 value is designed by operating the amount of water intake
in the water purification facility, the water delivery
pressure and the amount of water delivery of the water
transmission and distribution facility, and the air volume
of the blower and the inflow sewerage flow rate of the
20 sewerage facility in the case where the result of the
comparison shows that the electric power consumption
exceeds the electric power consumption predicted value.
10. The management method in the management support
system for water purification and for wastewater treatment
25 according to claim 8 or 9,
45
wherein the water transmission and distribution facility
control step is performed, and in the case where the
result shows that the water level and the water delivery
pressure of the service reservoir are insufficient, the
5 blower control step is performed.
11. A management support system for water
purification and for wastewater treatment, substantially
as herein described with reference to accompanying
drawings and examples.
10 12. A management method in a management support
system for water purification and for wastewater treatment,
substantially as herein described with reference to
accompanying drawings and examples.