×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Breakpoint Chlorination to Control Nitrification

Breakpoint Chlorination to Control Nitrification

Breakpoint Chlorination to Control Nitrification

(OP)
I am working on a project where a chloramined drinking water system is experiencing low chlorine residual in some parts.  I think that if i identify some of the sources of accelerated chloramine degradation in the system i will hopefully be able to improve the CR in the system without addition of a Booster Chlorination Station.  One problem that i think is occuring significantly in the system is nitrification, based on our water testing data, Im not sure.  Through reading all the AWWA manuals and reports i understand what can happen in systems and how it happens, but i am still having trouble with the major problem of what exactly is happening chemically in this system.  

The major questions i still have are
-Where does our water system fit on the breakpoint curve? (i.e. why does our data show combined, free chlorine and free ammonia residual all together)

-Is our observed increase in nitrates/nitrites enough to be significant nitrification

-If we were to use breakpoint chlorination what steps would we have to follow to safely control the free chlorine residual.

I have included our water testing data.

I am stumped at this point any and all help will be greatly appreciated.   

RE: Breakpoint Chlorination to Control Nitrification

Hi Brick583, I'm wondering if you're creating chloramines which are then being picked up in the nitrate/nitrite tests?  Superchlorination would help.  I've attached a link to the wikipedia article about chloramines.

Regards,
Kevin

RE: Breakpoint Chlorination to Control Nitrification

Take a look at lowering your pH. Nitrite/Nitrate formation will be significant above pH 9 s.u.

RE: Breakpoint Chlorination to Control Nitrification

It is a common problem to have poor chlorine residual at dead ends in a water distribution system.

The operator of the water distribution system should be able to identify these areas.

You will still have the problem even if you use breakpoint chlorination.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources