Whats new in STOAT Version 4.

3
Introduction
STOAT Version 4.3 is still being developed. This is an interim release, for those users
of STOAT 4.2 who will need some of the features that are currently implemented.

Upgrading to STOAT 4.3

Because of the addition of new unit process models you will need to update you
STOAT databases, using the Database copy utility provided with STOAT.

Dongle-based copy protection

STOAT is no longer copy-protected. This change has been done to simplify STOAT
installation, as the most common support issues with STOAT have related to getting
dongles to work over networks or with the various privilege levels that users have
under Windows 2000 or XP.

New Process Models

The new features are:
New treatment models in the activated
sludge model
o A specific industrial treatment
model, for systems that contain
AOX;
o A more general industrial treatment
model;
o Two new variants of the ASM1
activated sludge model;
One (ASM1 full N) to
provide closure on nitrogen,
by modelling the
nondegradable organic
nitrogen fractions. With the
standard ASM1 model these

fractions are not tracked, and instead are lost;

The second (ASM1 Simba) extends the first, and includes
nitrogen and alkalinity limitations on the growth of
heterotrophs, and alkalinity limitations on the growth of
autotrophs;
o New variants of the ASM2 activated sludge model; the standard
ASM2d model is now fully incorporated, with the inclusion of
alkalinity limitations, and there is a new version of the ASM2W model
which also includes alkalinity limitations;
A new secondary settling model, which is designed to provide a better
representation of settling tanks. There are three geometries supported:
o Cones, where the tank walls have a uniform slope;
o Sloped floors, where there is a sidewall followed by a sloping floor to
the tank centre; and
o Wedge-shape; where the clarifier is mounted externally to a circular
activated sludge aeration tank. This variant is specifically to represent
the shape of the clarifiers found attached to the German BIOHOCH
reactors;
Eventually there will be support for two-feed and dual-aeration (oxygen/air)
activated sludge systems. These models are visible on the toolbox, but are
not currently fully implemented.
New sludge treatment models
o Chemolysis, which uses a combination of high
temperatures, pressures and low pH to break
down sludge;
o Acid stripper, which uses acid treatment
primarily to precondition the settling or
dewatering properties of a sludge (which is
not modelled), but has the side-effect of
providing some breakdown of the sludge
(which is modelled) and a reduction in the pH
(which is also modelled)
o Ozone-peroxide sludge treatment unit, again
designed to promote sludge breakdown.
pH adjustment
o The first pH adjuster species the dose of
caustic and alkali as part of the operational
settings of the unit;
o The second pH adjuster allows the
caustic/alkali to be specified as part of a
connecting influent stream. When this is used
caustic or alkali must be specified as new
industrial chemicals. This unit is not fully
implemented, and should not currently be
used.

A new control option, the Parameter setter. This

allows parameters which were previously fixed over
the duration of a run, for example sludge settling
properties, to be varied during the run. This units
provides an audit trail of what was altered, and
when it was altered.
A new mixer, the QC mixer, where the first inlet to
the mixer (labelled Q) provides only flow to the
outlet of the mixer. Any water quality parameters
associated with the stream entering that mixer are
lost. The second inlet (labelled C) provides only
quality (concentrations, pH and temperature) to the
outlet. The QC mixer was developed for a special
case where flows were measured for several
streams, but quality was measured as a composite
where those streams mixed. The QC mixer allowed
the hydraulic effects of the streams to be modelled
in balancing tanks, and then the combined output to
use the measured concentrations at the appropriate
point.

New interface options

Under the Edit option for a run there are the following
new options:

Component names allows you to specify

descriptive names for industrial components. Up
to 20 components can be added. At present all
these components are treated as soluble.
Component properties allows you to then
specify the reactive and inhibitory properties for
these chemicals. At present the only model
which fully utilises this information is the
industrial effluent treatment in the activated
sludge process. Many of the supporting process
models primary tanks, secondary tanks,
balancing tanks, etc. have been extended to
include industrial model variants, where the
purpose of these models is to ensure that the
industrial components are passed through (with
any mixing effects) downstream.
Influents provides a means of entering the
influent filenames for all the influents defined
for the works. All influents which can be found
are displayed in green; any influents for which
the files cannot be found, or have not been

specified, are displayed in red.

Edit process names provides a means for changing the names of the unit
processes, without requiring that the works be flagged up as having been
changed and forcing that the works be saved as a new works. Stream names
can be changed directly, and saved with the works without requiring that the
works be saved under a new name.

Figure 1

Industrial component properties

Figure 2

Using the influent editor

Figure 3

Changing unit process names

Under Options there are four new options.

Build switches you into a new mode, where
you can add and delete processes to the
flowsheet. This way you can open a new run,
modify the flowsheet, and then save it with as
much information as possible form the old
flowsheet saved automatically. You must save
the works before proceeding, when you will
also be prompted to save the associated run as
a new run. You must deselect the Build option
before you have access to the run options
again.
Diagnostics provides a list of detected
problems. At present the list is only those
influents that are missing associated data files.
By default, completed simulations disable
viewing the maths options that were used for that simulation. Enable maths
allows you to view the maths option, should you have a new need.
After the first simulation the default start is disabled, and all simulations start
based on a previous simulation. Should you have a need to use the default

conditions again then Enable default start allows you to access this condition
for creating new runs.
The Tools menu provides the following new options:

Create OMI file is used to create a

configuration file for use with OpenMI
simulations, linking STOAT into a larger
model exchanging data with rivers, sewers,
lakes, etc.
Stream reports at the end of a simulation
allows you to create Sankey reports, where the
connecting streams between processes on the
STOAT flowsheet will be assigned line
thickness based on the value of the parameter
chosen. By default concentrations are timeaveraged, but this can be changed to use flowweighting. A mass balance summary can also
be generated.
Process reports are currently enabled only for
some of the more common unit processes, and
allow you to generate reports on
various calibration aspects of that
model
Link processes allows you to
specify that a collection of process
models all share the same calibration
data. This is still under
development. At present the linked
processes are unlinked each time
you reopen the run.

Figure 4

Example mass balance

Figure 5

Example Sankey diagram, for flow

New mouse actions

STOAT now provides support for the following actions:
Copy and paste a unit process
Delete and undelete a unit process (only one level of undo is currently
supported)
Block select for moving and deleting areas of the flowsheet hold the mouse
button down while sweeping out the region to be selected.

OpenMI
STOAT provides support for OpenMI. More details are given in the OpenMI folders
on the CD.