Author(s): E. Eric Adams; Ishita Shrivastava; Aaron C. Chow
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Desalination; Dilution; Vertical mixing; Outfall
Abstract: Reject brine from ocean desalination plants can form thin layers, with resulting high concentrations of contaminants and low concentrations of dissolved oxygen. Even after extensive near field mixing, such layers may be too thin to be “seen” by far field transport models. Accordingly we develop a simple intermediate field model to explore the evolution of brine volume and the deficit of dissolved oxygen (DO) due to low discharge DO concentration and high sediment oxygen demand (SOD). The impacts are found to depend on the magnitude of the brine being discharged along with its salinity and DO concentration, the design of the outfall, and ambient conditions (water depth, currents and SOD). Suitable values of many of these parameters can be adjusted by judicious outfall design and siting.
Year: 2016