A dynamic model of a water treatment unit

For support of field medical units, the U.S. army is developing a self-contained waste water treatment system to produce portable water for use within the unit. To aid in developing the control strategy and the fault detection/fault isolation logic, a dynamic model of the system is being developed. The first phase of the effort is to develop models of the system´s components, such a ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, ozonation, etc. These models are then combined to obtain a model for the complete system. To the greatest extent possible, fundamental equations form the basis of the models. In determining coefficients for the models, the the data was obtained from the experiments that formed the basis of the design of a pilot plant version of the unit. To refine the model, this data is then supplemented by operational data from the pilot plant.