The optimal volume of a retention tank estimation using rainwater harvesting digital calculator
author:
PAULINA NAPIERAJ, EWA BURSZTA-ADAMIAK, PIOTR CZARNOCKI, PAWEŁ LICZNAR
ORCID ID:
0009-0001-7340-4757 , 0000-0003-3755-2047, 0000-0002-2559-5296
No:
04/2024 Instal pp.32-39
DOI:
10.36119/15.2024.4.4
The increasing number of investments in the retention and use of rainwater in situ, in response to the ongoing climate
change and extreme weather events, including primarily drought and heavy rainfall, as well as the significant supply
of non-refundable funding from both domestic and foreign funds for such activities, is associated with the need for
knowledge of methods and tools for reliable design and selection of the optimal volume of retention tanks.
To date, there is a lack of standards and guidelines for in situ rainwater management in Poland. Using simplified
methods to estimate tank capacity often results in significant discrepancies. This paper presents the selection of optimal
retention tank volumes using a newly developed digital tool, the rainwater harvesting calculator on the WaterFolder
platform, which takes into account both site conditions and precipitation conditions for a given region in the
calculations. Demonstration calculations were carried out for 18 case studies (covering the three most common rainwater harvesting options, three locations and three runoff area sizes). The results showed that the selection of the optimal tank capacity is influenced not only by the size of the runoff area and the water demand for the chosen
economic purposes, but also to a significant extent by the location, i.e., the local rainfall conditions in the area of the planned project. The use of such digital tools can streamline the design process and make it easier for developers to decide on the optimal capacity of a rainwater retention tank for on-site use.
Keywords:
About Authors:
mgr inż. Paulina Napieraj, https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7340-4757 ‒ Wydział Budownictwa, Architektury i Inżynierii Środowiska, Politechnika Bydgoska, Miejskie Wodociągi i Kanalizacja w Bydgoszczy sp. z o.o. dr hab. inż. Ewa Burszta-Adamiak, prof. UPWr, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3755-2047 ‒ Wydział Inżynierii Kształtowania Środowiska i Geodezji, Uniwersytet Przyrodniczy we Wrocławiu mgr Piotr Czarnocki ‒ Ministerstwo Klimatu i Środowiska, Departament Funduszy Europejskich, Warszawa prof. dr hab. inż. Paweł Licznar, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2559-5296 ‒ Wydział Instalacji Budowlanych, Hydrotechniki i Inżynierii Środowiska, Politechnika Warszawska, Warszawa. Corresponding Author: ewa.burszta-adamiak@upwr.edu.pl
