Kansas City, Mo., Sept. 25, 2002 -- Black & Veatch Corp. announced that it has been awarded a contract for a major study of ultraviolet light (UV) disinfection for large drinking water treatment plants by the American Water Works Association Research Foundation (AwwaRF), which is sponsored by approximately 1,000 U.S. and international drinking water utilities.
Although an increasing number of large utilities view UV disinfection as an effective, economical way to inactivate pathogens such as Cryptosporidium, very few large-scale UV drinking water installations exist.
The project will identify, evaluate and recommend methodologies to address needs specific to UV installations that require reactors larger than those that can currently be validated by full-scale testing.
Although the research will largely focus on plants that require UV reactors with capacities greater than 25 million gallons per day, it will benefit smaller facilities as well.
Black & Veatch will conduct the research jointly with Dr. Joel Ducoste of North Carolina State University and Dr. Karl Linden of Duke University as well as a team of researchers supporting their efforts. Participating organizations include NSF International, UV disinfection system manufacturers and some of the largest utilities in North America and Europe.
"A methodology that ensures adequate performance and adequate scale-up prediction is imperative for the use of UV technology in large treatment facilities," said AwwaRF Senior Project Manager Albert Ilges. "The collaboration of several water utilities, Black & Veatch, AwwaRF and other drinking water organizations is testimony to the high priority of this research."
Critical issues include installation, operation and maintenance of UV systems; validation and monitoring of UV systems using computational fluid dynamic models; and operation during emergency conditions. A resulting CD-ROM program will enable utilities to determine the applicability of UV for their systems, identify best design and operation practices and methods, and predict UV performance for treatment plants with high flows.
Other AwwaRF applied research projects through which Black & Veatch is demonstrating technology leadership include comparison of treatment performance of ozone followed by medium-pressure ultraviolet (UV) lights with that of medium-pressure UV alone; evaluation of MIEX process impacts on treated water quality for a range of raw water supplies; examination of technical and societal issues associated with chloramination; international assessment of the water industry's experience with integrated membrane filtration into existing treatment plants; and examination of the implications of retention time on water quality in distribution systems.
"The use of UV technologies for disinfection offers tremendous promise in the delivery of safe drinking water, but the industry needs a better understanding of the issues involved in large-scale application," said Americas Division (Water Sector) President Dan McCarthy.
"As a global treatment technology leader, Black & Veatch is well-suited to the task at hand and excited about the opportunity to work with an esteemed team of UV and operations experts on this important AwwaRF project."
For more information about the American Water Works Association Research Foundation, visit www.AwwaRF.com.
About Black & Veatch
Black & Veatch Corp. is a global engineering, construction and consulting company specializing in infrastructure development in the fields of energy, water and information.
Founded in 1915, Black & Veatch serves its clients with conceptual and preliminary engineering services, engineering design, procurement, construction, financial management, asset management, information technology, environmental, security design and consulting, and management consulting services.
Headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., the employee-owned company has more than 90 offices worldwide. The company's Web site address is www.bv.com.
The Water Sector provides innovative technology-based solutions to utilities, governments and industries worldwide. Local project managers work with a global team of water and wastewater treatment process experts to address site-specific challenges through a broad range of consulting, study, planning, design, design-build and construction management services.
