Epselon - Wastewater Process Selection
EpSelon is a discursive expert system designed to help the user
identify the best option for a specified aqueous waste stream. The
software is presented in the form of 'live decision trees' which
reflect the way in which decision-making is often shown on the
printed page. By answering questions presented as a flowchart you
through a session that progressively refines process options. You
may 'backtrack' to explore new branches, and a record of his or her
exploration can be saved to file.
At key nodes of the decision-making process, you can make
context-sensitive recourse to the Process Manual's Wastewater
Treatment technical area (if your company owns a license), which
provides background detail and justification for the course
taken.
Currently EpSelon contains the following expert system live
decision trees:
- Overall
- - General strategy; primary physical
separations and conditioning; treatment of organic, inorganic and
mixed streams; precipitation and coagulation processes.
- Adsorption and Ion Exchange
- - Selection of adsorbents and ion
exchange resins for a wide range of wastewater streams.
- Biological Processing
- - Suitability of effluents for
biological treatments; when to use aerobic and anaerobic processes;
inhibitors and conditioning; choice of intensive high-rate or
extensive low-rate processes.
- Chemical Redox Processes
- - Redox processes as choice of last
resort; distinction between treatment of organics and inorganics;
selection based upon functionality; reagent based versus 'wet
oxidation', elevated temperature and pressure processes; reduction
processes.
- Electrical Processes
- - Removal of suspended solids;
electrochemical destruction of organics; targeted or bulk removal
of ionic species.
- Heavy Metals Treatment
- - Recovery versus decontamination;
metal toxicity, concentration and volume as treatment determinants;
ion exchange; precipitation; biosorption.
- Sludge Treatment and Disposal
- - Classification of sludges; options
for ultimate disposal; conditioning for disposal.
- Tertiary and Polishing Treatment
- - The treatment of low-concentration
wastewaters; organics, metals and other inorganics; ion exchange;
membrane processes; carbon adsorption.
Though opened and entered as individual trees, the trees
function as a unity, allowing you to transfer between trees as the
session logic dictates.
