Technical Committee on Outfall Systems   Keep updated

The IAHR/IWA Committee on Outfall Systems presents a comprehensive summary of its dynamic activities throughout 2023. The successful organization of ISOS 2023 in Buenos Aires drew over 250 participants, marking a significant milestone.

Notable events include a special session at the 2023 IAHR Congress, a committee name change to expand its focus, and the initiation of proposals for ISOS 2026.

Engaging the community further, the committee formed a working group that conducted a webinar and a short course on numerical simulation. A significant publication, "Numerical Simulation of Effluent Discharges," provides valuable insights.

Looking ahead, the committee plans ISOS 2026, a special session at the 2025 IAHR Congress, and continued activities such as webinars, a short course, new member elections, newsletters, and maintaining a strong online presence.

If you have an interest in outfall systems, you are warmly invited to join the Technical Committee!  

Latest Activities

The International Symposium on Outfall Systems (ISOS 2023) was successfully organized in Buenos Aires from March 27 to March 29. Over 250 participants attended the conference, which was exceptional compared to previous ISOS events. Eight keynote speeches and 12 technical presentations were delivered as well as several panel discussions. A very interesting and impressive site visit was also organized.

Special Session on Marine Outfall Systems orrganised during the 40th IAHR World Congress with six presentations and about 35 attendees covering experimental, numerical and analytical subjects presenting recent advances in the subject. 

Expanding the Scope of the committee In order to expand the committee's scope of work, attract more people, and further involve IWA, the committee decided to broaden its focus by changing its name from “IAHR/IWA joint committee on marine outfall systems” to “IAHR/IWA joint committee on outfall systems”. That is, the scope was expanded from marine outfalls to all outfalls.

Call for proposals for hosting the International Symposium on Marine Outfall Systems in 2026: Proposals were invited for the organization of ISOS 2026, marking the committee's commitment to fostering ongoing advancements.

New working group on numerical simulation of outfall systems was formed and organized a webinar and a short course as outlined below.

Webinar on Numerical Simulation of Effluent Discharges The webinar organised in 16 May 2023 introduced the application and configuration of outfalls, the basic principles of numerical simulation and various methods of turbulence modeling. In addition, the simulation case of OpenFOAM for sewage discharge modeling, and the improvement in the numerical model was further discussed. 

Short course on outfall discharge modeling and analysis organized during Oct 30th to Nov 1st 2023. as part of the activities aimed to present an introduction to the design and modelling methods and the latest selected research results related to outfall systems and the mixing of effluents in water bodies. Nearly 400 registrations were received. 

Book “Numerical Simulation of Effluent Discharges: Applications with OpenFOAM” by Abdolmajid Mohammadian, Hossein Kheirkhah Gildeh, Xiaohui Yan was published in January 2023. The book provides a resource for understanding the effluent discharge mechanisms and the approaches for modeling them. It bridges the gap between academia and industry with a focused approach in CFD modeling and providing practical examples and applications. With a detailed discussion on performing numerical modeling of effluent discharges in various ambient waters and with different discharge configurations, the book covers the application of OpenFOAM in effluent discharge modeling.

Committee Meeting at ISOS 2023: Discussions at the committee meeting during ISOS 2023 centered around organizing webinars, working groups, and planning for ISOS 2026 to prevent overlap with the IAHR congress. Dynamic Newsletters: Regular newsletters kept members informed about the committee's activities, ensuring transparency and engagement.

Digital Engagement: The committee updated webpages on IAHR and IWA websites and LinkedIn, ensuring dynamic online presence and connectivity.

Dr Philip Roberts was nominated for IAHR fellowship award and was awarded the IAHR fellow designation by IAHR. 

Looking Ahead

Summary of activities of next years

• Organizing ISOS in 2026 

• Organising a special session during the 40th IAHR World Congress in 2025
  

• Conducting committee meetings

• Preparation of working group activities such as two webinars, a short course focusing on practical aspects of the design of outfalls and development of a short guideline on numerical modeling of outfall systems

• Election of new members

• Continued newsletter circulation to keep the community informed.

• Maintaining an active online presence on IAHR and IWA platforms, and LinkedIn.

  
  

The IAHR/IWA Joint Specialist Group on Outfall Systems remains committed to advancing knowledge, fostering collaboration, and staying at the forefront of innovations in outfall systems.