Advanced control used for counteracting accidental pollutant propagation in rivers

Abstract Based on a previously developed dynamic simulator, aimed to predict the distribution of a pollutant accidental discharge in a river segment, the present work investigated the way automatic measures may be implemented for counteracting their negative effects. The complex time and space distribution of the pollutant concentration in the downstream region of the pollutant release is revealed by the k-e turbulence model of the flow, associated to the convection-diffusion-reaction processes. This information is used by the model based predictive control strategy for adding a neutralizing agent in certain points of the river segment in order to reduce the downstream pollutant concentration. Both feedback and combined feeedback-feedforward model predictive control structures are considered and the results are presented for the case study of a River Somes segment, in the scenario of the continuous pollutant release.