Modeling Effects of Heated Waste Water Discharge Rate on the Thermal Plume Pattern and Temperature at the Wastewater Discharge Site

Water application as a coolant in industry and its discharge in the water ecosystem causes
thermal pollution. This study aimed at investigating the water temperature pattern affected by
heated wastewater discharge rate changes using the three dimensional Coupled
Hydrodynamical-Ecological model for Regional and Shelf Seas (COHERENS). The model was
run for two years to reach a steady state employing a Cartesian grid (40 × 120), five sigma
levels from the surface to the bottom, meteorological data, main components of the tide (O1,
K1, M2, S2), and information related to the heated wastewater discharge rate and temperature
of water body. The modeling results showed that the wastewater discharge rate affected the
temperature at the discharge site and thermal plume expansion in the different seasons. The rate
of temperature variations that were created in the environment by the heated wastewater
depended on the temperature difference between the environment and wastewater. The also showed the Coriolis force had an effect on the thermal plume. Consequently, the plume
and its effects on water body had been diverted to the right. The results of this modeling can be
used to manage thermal pollution in the environment and improve the efficiency of the cooling
system used in industry