Siemens commissions MBR testing facility at Changi Water Reclamation Plant in Singapore

Siemens Water Technologies in Singapore and the PUB, Singapore’s national water agency, are collaborating on a membrane bioreactor (MBR) testing facility at PUB’s Changi Water Reclamation Plant. The recently commissioned 1.0 million liter/day (250,000 gpd) MBR system treats domestic wastewater at the Changi plant, which is part of the first phase of the Singapore Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) project. The test facility will allow Siemens’ R&D personnel to validate new, innovative design parameters quickly, and under real conditions.

“We will look at new ways to operate the plant and make even greater improvements to the MBR system’s innovative air scour process,” says Ruediger Knauf, Vice President of R&D for Siemens Water Technologies. “We will also be looking at developing and testing new MBR technology, with the ultimate goal of providing our customers with the most sustainable, energy efficient product, and more control over plant operations.”

The testing facility incorporates the Siemens MBR system, a unique wastewater treatment process that combines activated sludge biological treatment with Memcor membrane filtration system. The system generates rapid pulses at each MBR module using a continuous air flow. This pulsed airlift technology increases scouring effectiveness and reduces energy consumption. System benefits include: decreased operating and maintenance costs, and increased ease of use, as there are no moving parts in the membrane air scour process; 30-50% reduction in air scour energy use; and ease of retrofitting to existing systems.

This MBR research and development program allows the project team to test the membrane operating system (MOS) of the pulsed airlift technology and optimize performance under extreme and normal operating environments. The full-scale plant allows testing to take place in a carefully controlled and monitored environment. The expected result is improvements in overall lower energy use and system maintenance for MBRs. The program is based on detailed Computational Flow Dynamics (CFD) analysis carried out over the last two years, which is a result of a close collaboration between the Siemens Water Technologies R&D Center and the Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) in Singapore.

Memcor is a trademark of Siemens Water Technologies and its affiliates in some countries.

Karole Colangelo
Corporate Public Relations Manager
Siemens Water Technologies Corp.
Hoffman Estates, IL
847-713-8458 phone
E-mail address karole.colangelo@siemens.com
The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is the worldwide leading supplier of environmentally friendly production, transportation, building and lighting technologies. With integrated automation technologies and comprehensive industry-specific solutions, Siemens increases the productivity, efficiency and flexibility of its customers in the fields of industry and infrastructure. The Sector consists of six divisions: Building Technologies, Drive Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility und Osram. With around 207,000 employees worldwide (September 30), Siemens Industry achieved in fiscal year 2009 total sales of approximately €35 billion.

The Siemens Industry Solutions Division (Erlangen, Germany) is one of the world's leading solution and service providers for industrial and infrastructure facilities comprising the business activities of Siemens VAI Metals Technologies, Water Technologies and Industrial Technologies. Activities include engineering and installation, operation and service for the entire life cycle. A wide-ranging portfolio of environmental solutions helps industrial companies to use energy, water and equipment efficiently, reduce emissions and comply with environmental guidelines. With around 31,000 employees worldwide (September 30), Siemens Industry Solutions posted sales of €6.8 billion in fiscal year 2009.