Water and Wastewater Engineering MSc

• Dr Marc Pidou

As the first module of the Water and Wastewater Engineering MSc course, this provides you with a base of knowledge on which the subsequent modules will build by broadly covering the water industry, conventional unit operations employed and the basic scientific and engineering principles on which they are based - all essential knowledge for water and wastewater engineers. More specifically, as part of this module you will first acquire knowledge of the water industry, its structure and processes, relevant regulations and applicable process economics. Subsequently, you will acquire general knowledge and understanding of the conventional water and wastewater treatment processes used in the industry, which will then all be covered in greater details in the following modules. Finally, you will learn about the basic scientific and engineering principles on which these treatment processes are based including water chemistry, hydraulics and pumping, mass balance, mass and heat transfers, reactor theory, chemical and biochemical kinetics.

This module is 30 credits.

 

 

 

Classification, significance and concentration ranges of impurities in water and wastewater, including: suspended and dissolved solids, organic and inorganic compounds, trace contaminants and pathogens.
Physical methods for removing particulates, including screening and grit removal, sedimentation and filtration.
Chemical dosing, including precipitation; coagulation and flocculation processes (including basic concepts from colloid science); disinfection and chemical oxidation.
Adsorption and ion exchange.
Biological processes for wastewater treatment, both aerobic and anaerobic, including activated sludge, trickling filters and sludge digestion.
Process control systems and strategies.
Process economics and optioneering.
Water sector structure and legislation.
Aqueous chemistry: moles and equivalents, solubility, the behaviour of acids and bases and the concept of pH, kinetics and equilibria.
Reactors – plug flow and continuous stirred tank.
Kinetics – chemical and biochemical.
Mass balances.
Mass and heat transfers.
Principles of channel flows, weirs and flumes.
Hydraulic profiling.
Flow distribution, divisions and combination.
Flow through hydraulic structures and unit process.
Principles and sizing of pumps.
Sludge pumping systems.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Illustrate the basic principles of conventional water and wastewater treatment processes.
• Examine the nature of impurities in waters and wastewaters and select appropriate processes for their removal (design of flow sheets).
• Analyse the structure and operation of the water sector, including relevant legislations and the roles of the different institutions involved.
• Apply economic costing to water and wastewater treatment systems.
• Apply relevant fundamental scientific and engineering principles (i.e. water chemistry, hydraulics and pumping, mass balance, mass and heat transfers, reactor theory, chemical and biochemical kinetics) to water and wastewater treatment processes.

• Dr Francis Hassard

This module will provide you with the skills required to select, design and monitor water and wastewater processes in order to deliver safe drinking water or wastewater treated to the consents required to safeguard water body health. You will gain an understanding of and implement the design principles, practice and operation of conventional and advanced chemical, physical and biological processes for water and wastewater treatment.

This module is 30 credits.

• Key principles of chemical, physical and biological processes relevant to the selection,  design, operation and fault diagnostics of treatment processes encountered in water and wastewater treatment.
• Coagulation science.
• Adsorption of organics by activated carbon.
• Ion exchange resins.
• Disinfection principles and key issues: formation of by-products. 
• Oxidation of trace: chlorine, ozone, hydrogen peroxide and other oxidants. 
• UV irradiation.
• Screening designs.
• Clarification processes including sedimentation, high rate systems, dissolved air flotation and their applications.
• Filtration design and practice including factors governing media selection and application in water and wastewater treatment.
• Membrane processes including materials, configuration, design and operation of porous membrane systems.
• Sludge properties and treatment by anaerobic digestion (design and operation) .
• Principles and application of biofilm processes including RBCs, MBBR, IFAS and trickling filters.
• Activated sludge principles, design and operation.
• Applications for extensive processes for wastewater treatment including reed beds and other nature based solutions (including catchment management).
• Advanced biological wastewater treatment including anaerobic wastewater treatment and application of biological processes for micropollutant removal.
• Biological nutrient removal.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Identify the range of conventional and advanced chemical, physical and biological treatment processes for the treatment of water and wastewater.
• Determine the factors influencing the selection, design and operation of conventional and innovative physical, chemical and biological processes. 
• Select appropriate treatment processes for specific applications.
• Explain the underlying operating principles on which the treatment processes are based and be able to apply these principles to unit process design and operation.
• Evaluate the importance of monitoring of chemical, physical and biological treatment processes for optimisation and diagnostics of in drinking water and wastewater treatment.

• Dr Jitka MacAdam

This module builds on previously acquired knowledge of technological solutions used in water and wastewater treatment by introducing a holistic approach with the aim to tackle future challenges faced by the water sector. You will cover a range of topics encompassing  everything from the initial asset plans, understanding the risk to the assets, how are these risks changing and how do we address and manage these futures. This module is designed around the Asset Management Plan (AMP) cycle and includes topics broadly covering asset and risk management as well as future trends in the water sector. 

This module is 20 credits.

• AMP cycle.
• Asset characteristics, functions and design life.
• Pressures on asset integrity & design life.
• Concepts of performance, serviceability and asset deterioration.
• Failure modes and effects analysis.
• Building and managing efficient delivery of large programmes of repair, inspect, operating and maintenance tasks.
• Integrated asset management & Whole Life Asset Management.
• Risk based approaches to asset management.
• Drivers for risk management in the utility sector.
• Corporate risk management. 
• Risk analysis tools and techniques.
• Operational risk management.
• Communicating risk, building stakeholder confidence.
• Risk governance in the utility sector.
• Futures/disruptive innovations.
• Opportunities for water reuse and resource recovery (nutrients and energy).
• Economic regulation, historic approaches and future trends.
• Price review process.
• Project analysis, selection and approval process.
• Public engagement, including the role of the customer and affordability.
 

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Discuss functions and life-cycles of all physical assets within the water and wastewater sector with emphasis on factors that influence their lifetimes and reliability and apply appropriate methods for condition assessment, maintenance scheduling and renewal planning.
• Identify and evaluate the significance of key trends and trajectories in the water and wastewater sector (e.g. stricter regulation, growing emphasis on reuse and resource recovery), and describe how they are influencing asset planning and development.
• Identify and explain the significance of strategic, tactical and operational risks in the water and wastewater sector, and describe how these risks are shifting in the face of identified trends and trajectories.
• Apply appropriate strategies, tools and techniques for managing and mitigating risks for water and wastewater systems.
• Evaluate the efficient and effective use of resources by the water industry on national as well as more local (catchment/company/department) level.