Improving Water Quality Using Hydrodynamic Vortex Separators and Screening Systems

Abstract

The paper reviews the evolution of Hydrodynamic Vortex Separators (HDVS) in the context of their application as high rate rotary flow separators for achieving water quality improvements to meet with regulatory requirements in Europe and North America. The types of HDVS and their application for the control of urban water quality such as combined sewer overflows (CSOs), sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), stormwater and wastewater treatment are outlined and a number of misconceptions surrounding their use, corrected. Reference is made to outputs of peer reviewed comprehensive monitoring, evaluation and demonstration projects on full-scale installations to demonstrate the efficacy and extensive track record of these systems. Recent developments and innovations in HDVS technologies are discussed, focusing on their combined use as solids liquid separators, the incorporation of self-cleansing screening devices for the control of aesthetic pollutants (e.g. floatables), as contact vessels for wastewater disinfection, and the use of computational modelling for optimisation.