SFBS and SCVS Members! Join us at the Chef’s Experience for
our December Dinner meeting with a presentation by Lance P. Salerno on
Development and Implementation of a Stepwise Commissioning Approach for a Major
Thickening and Temperature Phased Anaerobic Digestion (TPAD) Project
The San
José Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility recently completed a Digester and
Thickener Facilities upgrade (DTFU) project. The project converted and upgraded
dissolved waste activated sludge air flotation thickeners (DAFTs) to
co-thickening capability and the mesophilic digestion process to a temperature
phased (thermophilic/mesophilic) anaerobic digestion (TPAD) process.
While the
project was still in early construction, the team modified the original
approach from starting up the entire construction contract as one massive new
system to a stepwise sequenced approach, that commissioned different process
functions and areas over about a two-year period. The objective of the stepwise
approach was to simplify the amount of startup activities that occurred at one
time and mitigate impacts to day-to-day plant operations with process
changeovers, control system integration, plant staff time for training, new
operations and maintenance activities, and it allowed engineering and
construction teams to focus efforts sequentially rather than solving problems
with the entire system at once.
The
commissioning approach included a series of smaller system startups that were progressed in a stepwise manner and
generally consist of: (1) New DAFT
startup and thickening of only waste activated sludge (WAS), (2) Primary sludge
screening and co-thickening WAS in the new DAFTs, (3) Co-thickening operations
with polymer in the new DAFTs, (4) New TPAD digester operations (startup initially
in a fully mesophilic arrangement), (5) TPAD digester operations using
thermophilic digestion followed by mesophilic digestion operations, (6) Fully
integrating gas systems with cogeneration, and (7) Optimization of long term
operations through post commissioning activities.
This
discussion will present a high-level case study of the approach used to
commission this complex project.
Speakers Bio:
Lance is a Managing Principal with
Brown and Caldwell, out of Irvine California. His experience includes over 20 Years wastewater and water treatment
O&M experience with Brown and Caldwell, 10 Years experience with
Malcolm/Pirnie Arcadis in O&M and process engineering and 2 Years as a
Manhattan College graduate school laboratory staff member.
His current role is Brown and
Caldwell’s National Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Specialty Practice
Leader and works with both utilities and
private sector clients throughout North America.
As a startup manager and O&M
expert, Lance has led numerous major wastewater plant new construction startups
at large municipal WWTPs around North America including, San Jose, CA, Orange
County, CA, Vancouver, BC, Fulton County
Georgia, Salisbury Maryland, and numerous projects with the NYCDEP. His O&M consulting experience also
includes; leading a private sector Contract O&M Services group, conducting
staff training, troubleshooting wastewater operations, conducting wastewater
treatment plant (WWTP) operability reviews, odor control, unit process
operations, and wastewater permitting.
He holds an MS in Environmental
Engineering, an MBA in Management, and a BS in Environmental Biology all from
Manhattan College, in the Bronx, NY.
Lance is a Qualified Environmental
Professional (QE), holds an N-4 and C-1 as a licensed wastewater operator, has
presented and/or coauthored 10 nationally published papers on wastewater
operations topics, contributed to editing of two WEF Textbook publications
including Operations of Water Resource Recovery Facilities, Manual of Practice
No. 11, and is a member of the Water Environment Federation Plant O&M
Committee.
Lance is active with several WEF State
Associations and operator training programs including California, New York, and
the New Jersey. His work in NJ has includes being on the program committee and
chairing an operator training workshop for the past 15 years. Lance is a past
recipient of the W. Wesley Eckenfelder Award from Manhattan College for
Excellence and Professionalism, is a Qualified Environmental Professional, and
is a member of the Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers.
Alicia Alba
Alicia has been with the City of San Jose for 10 years and is currently a Principal Engineer overseeing the Biosolids Package at the RWF-CIP program. She has worked both in private and public sectors with overall 19 years of professional experience managing projects related to recycled water, sanitary sewer collection systems, and upgrades to wastewater treatment facilities in the secondary and biosolids process areas. Alicia earned a BS and MS from San Jose University and University of Maryland of Baltimore County, respectively.
Dinner
Chinese Chicken Salad, BBQ Pork
Spareribs, Vegetable Spring Rolls, Garlic Chicken Wings, Honey Walnut Shrimp,
Spicy Basil Fish, Black Pepper Beef, Honey Sesame Chicken, Asparagus Chicken,
Sauteed Deluxe Vegetables, Combination Hong Kong, Chow Mein, and White Rice.
Cost: $40 members, $60 non-members, $25 students