An academic webinar was organized by the IAHR/IWA Joint Committee on Outfall Systems on November 12, 2024, bringing together industry experts and scholars to share insights on outfall monitoring and numerical modeling. This virtual event featured distinguished presentations from professionals in water resources and engineering, showcasing real-world case studies and innovative research.

The session began with a welcome address by Hossein Kheirkhah, Senior Water Resources Engineer at Barr Engineering Co., who emphasized the importance of knowledge dissemination in advancing the field of outfall system design and compliance. Mr. Kheirkhah, based in Calgary and a current postdoctoral fellow at MIT, highlighted the session’s focus: exploring strategies for outfall monitoring and the role of numerical modeling in sustainable design.

Presentation 1: Outfall Monitoring Case Study – City of Dili, Timor-Leste

Eduardo Yassuda, Senior Coastal Engineer, and Marco Antonio Correa, Senior Oceanographer, both from Tetra Tech South America, delivered a comprehensive joint presentation on outfall monitoring based on their project in Dili, Timor-Leste. The presentation detailed the challenges faced during the project, including COVID-19 travel restrictions and the absence of local environmental regulations.

Key highlights included:

• Strategies to ensure compliance with discharge standards and environmental safety.

• The utilization of field data, site characterization, and near-field/far-field models for the outfall’s design.

• The importance of balancing cost, construction feasibility, and dilution requirements to finalize outfall positioning.

Presentation 2: Numerical Modeling of Effluent Discharges

Majid Mohammadian, Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Ottawa, presented on the crucial role of numerical modeling in designing sustainable outfall systems. Dr. Mohammadian showcased recent advances at the University of Ottawa, emphasizing:

• The application of Navier-Stokes equations and advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques.

• The use of modified solvers such as “modified pisoFoam” and two-liquid mixing models for density variation.

• Case studies demonstrating the effective use of large-eddy simulation (LES) to capture complex flow dynamics.

A Q&A session, facilitated by Hossein Kheirkhah, allowed participants to delve deeper into modeling methodologies, field data applications, and the practical challenges encountered in outfall design. Concluding the webinar, Mr. Kheirkhah reiterated the importance of continued collaboration and research in advancing outfall system science.

The IAHR/IWA Joint Committee on Outfall Systems is dedicated to enhancing global expertise in wastewater discharge technology and promoting environmental sustainability. This webinar is part of the series organized by the committee to focus on the topic of wastewater outfall systems including discharges of demestic, industrial or desalination waste streams to inland and coastal receiving waterways.

Other webinars of the series include:

» Details of this webinar

» Watch the recording in IAHR Video Library

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