Proceedings

Models using computational fluid dynamics techniques have made it possible to innovate and improve the design and operation of pond systems built for wastewater treatment purposes. These models, however, have not incorporated energy flows and transfer which are key factors to their operation, as they are directly related to the primary production and ecological structure of the ecosystem. Therefore, this work developed and validated a computational fluid dynamics model using experimental temperature data, including energy flow and transfer in a secondary facultative pond used for wastewater treatment in the municipality of Ginebra in Valle del Cauca, Colombia. The model resolved the heat equation coupled with standard k- and RNG k- models. Simulations allowed concluding that the standard k- turbulence model provides enhanced precision of the temperature profile in the ecosystem.