Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2014ND283B

Three Dimensional Analyses of Flow Dynamics & Chlorination of Ground Water Supply Reservoir in a Cold Region

Institute: North Dakota
Year Established: 2014 Start Date: 2014-03-01 End Date: 2015-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $4,100 Total Non-Federal Funds: $8,201

Principal Investigators: Yeo Lim

Project Summary: In cold climate regions, such as North Dakota, water distribution systems tend to have issues related to the cold climate that those in warmer climates do not have or consider. Often water storage tanks and pipes experience periods with some extent of freezing. When temperatures increase in the summer, stratification within storage tanks may occur which leads to depletion of the total chlorine level. According to the North Dakota Department of Health, one of the goals in complying with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules is to provide increased protection against microbial pathogens in public water systems. Recently, East Grand Forks had implemented a tank mixer into one of its water towers as well as a ground water reservoir. The mixer was installed in the ground water reservoir to prevent stratification and total chlorine depletion during the summer months. In the water tower, the mixer was installed to prevent structural damage due to freezing that had been occurring. The tank mixers have been operating continuously since installation and resolving the problems for which they were installed. However, there is concern that operating the tank mixer continuously is not cost efficient. The main objective is to create an accurate three-dimensional, multiphase, free surface, CFD model, utilizing ANYSYS FLUENT and CFX software so the interior geometry could be modified to increase the through velocity and to compare and contrast the different options the city has and propose the most efficient method to the city of East Grand Forks.