Wet Well Demonstration Project in Urban Water TMU AquaBox Laboratory

Through a partnership with WSP Consulting, Urban Water TMU researchers are testing a physical model of the North Shore WasteWater Treatment Plant Wet Well currently under construction in Vancouver, BC. The Urban Water TMU research team includes James Li, Darko Joksimovic, and 3 Masters students.  

The Wet Well is a core component of a $700M project to provide wastewater treatment for 250,000 homes. The physical model simulates various water flows and allows the engineers to check the performance of the Wet Well design for turbulence, dead spots, air entrainment, and vortices. Through this process the team was able to fine tune the Wet Well and demonstrate that the design performed to specification. Following confirmation of the design parameters, researchers and students are using the model to test the impact of various changes on its performance.  

The experiential learning from this project provides invaluable exposure to real world problems for Urban Water TMU students. Going forward, the Masters students will continue to undertake further research using the model for the completion of their graduate degrees.