When domestic sewage and rainwater runoff are discharged into a single sewer pipe, it is called a “combined sewer system.” The sewage design standards in Korea specify the flow velocity based only on the volume of rainfall; therefore, sedimentation occurs on non-rainy days owing to the reduced flow rate and velocity. This sedimentation reduces the discharge capacity, causes unpleasant odors, and exacerbates the problem of combined sewer overflow concentration. To address this problem, the amount of sewage on non-rainy days, not just the volume of rainfall, should also be considered. There are various theories on sedimentation in sewer movement. This study introduces a self-cleansing velocity based on tractive force theory. By applying a self-cleansing velocity equivalent to the critical shear stress of a sand particle, sedimentation can be reduced on non-rainy days. The amount of sewage changes according to the water use pattern of citizens. The design hourly maximum wastewater flow was considered as a representative value, and the velocity of this flow should be more than the self-cleansing velocity. This design method requires a steeper gradient than existing design criteria. Therefore, the existing sewer pipelines need to be improved and repaired accordingly. In this study, five types of improvement and repair methods that can maximize the use of existing pipelines and minimize the depth of excavation are proposed. The key technologies utilized are trenchless sewer rehabilitation and complex cross-section pipes. Trenchless sewer rehabilitation is a popular sewage repair method. However, it is complex because the cross-section pipes do not have a universal design and require continuous research and development. In an old metropolis with a combined sewer system, it is difficult to carry out excavation work; hence, the methods presented in this study may be useful in the future.
Cured-in-place-pipe(CIPP) is the most adopted trenchless application for sewer rehabilitation to extend the life of the existing sewer without compromising both direct construction and indirect social costs especially applied in the congested urban area. This technology is globally and domestically known to be the most suitable for partial and full deteriorated pipe structure rehabilitation in a sewer system. The typical design of CIPP requires a significant thickness of lining to support loading causing sewage flow interruption and increasing material cost. This paper presents development of a high strength glass fiber composite lining material for the CIPP application and structural test results. The test results exhibit that the new glass fiber composite lining material has 12 times of flexural strength, 6.2 times of flexural modulus, and 0.5 Creep Retention Factor. These test results can reduce lining design thickness 35% at minimum. Even though taking into consideration extra materials such as outer and inner films for actual field applications, the structural capacity of the composite material significantly increases and it reduces 20 percent or more line thickness as compared to the conventional CIPP. We expect that the newly developed CIPP lining material lowers material costs and minimizes flow capacity reduction, and fully replaceable to the conventional CIPP lining materials.
Urban sanitary sewer systems can aid in preventing inundation, and can improve civil health by effectively disposing stormwater and wastewater. However, since sewage odor can cause adverse effects, numerous technical and administrative studies have been conducted for reducing such odor. European countries and the United States of America (USA) built modern sewer systems in the late 19th century, and have since been endeavoring to eliminate sewage odors. Several cities of the USA, such as Los Angeles (LA) that has a separate sewer system and San Francisco (SF) that has a combined sewer system, have produced and distributed odor control master plan manuals. Features common in the odor reduction plans of both these cities are that the odor reduction programs are operated in all the respective local regions and are supported by administrative systems. The primary aspectual difference between the two said programs is that the city of LA employs a sewage air purification system, whereas the city of SF controls the emission of major odor causing compounds. Compared to the existing sewer odor reduction systems of these two cities, South Korea is still in the initial phase of development. Through technical studies and policy implementations for sewer odor reduction, a foundation can be laid for improving the civil health quality.