Energy Consumption Assessment in the Water Treatment Process, Bacău City Case Study

Abstract

In the national and international context, two general concerns revolve around water treatment processes. First of all, we talk about energy efficiency and environmental compatibility in the water treatment plants that should be continuously improved for rational energy use and renewable energy sources implementing [1]. Thus, the environmental objectives as reducing CO₂ emissions and improve energy efficiency are major concerns today. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a study on a water treatment plant and to develop solutions that will lead to the efficiency improvements of water treatment process in energy consumption terms.
By applying the Polyfactorial equation methodology, we can find out the environmental impact of the water treatment process. The total energy demand of water treatment plant Barati (WTP Barati) which treats the water of the city of Bacau was evaluated at 239.94 MW h/y and the highest energy consumption is registered by the technical building, which represent 40 % from total energy consumption. Another important aspect in case of Bacau water treatment plant is the raw water turbidity, which influences energy quantity used for treatment process.
The results analysis has highlighted two main conclusions of water treatment plant. The weakest point of the WTP Barati is the water distribution system. These are outdated and affect the treated water quality until it reaches the consumer. The biggest strong point is the raw water quality, which during the winter period reaches a very high level of quality, requiring only a simple chlorination in the treatment system.