Hydraulic characteristics of small-scale constructed wetland based on residence time distribution

This paper designs and builds a small constructed wetland test site to study the internal hydraulic characteristics of different types of constructed wetlands, conducts NaCl pulse tracing experiments, and fits the residence time distribution (RTD) with the CSTRs+PFD model (Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactor model in parallel with Plug Flow with Dispersion model). The results showed that, among the six types of constructed wetlands, hydraulic parameters of horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands with baffles had the best performance, with a tracer recovery rate (F(t)) reaching 43.67% and hydraulic efficiency (λ) reaching 0.81. The addition of baffles slowed flow velocity, increased mean hydraulic retention time (Tm) and peak residence time (Tp), and reduced the short circuits phenomenon. The velocity of internal water flow increased during the horizontal and vertical deflections, which could well avoid the stagnation phenomenon caused by complicated flow state, thereby improving the hydraulic efficiency (λ). The CSTRs+PFD model can better fit the RTD of 6 different types of constructed wetlands. The peak value of the fitted curve, the time to reach the peak and the slope of the curve are all very similar to the measured RTD.