Experimental and numerical study of current and temperature fields in Lake Belews, an artificial cooling pond

Existing techniques for the analysis of thermal discharges are limited in scope. Physical models have the limitation that all the similarity parameters cannot be satisfied simultaneously. Analytical models are limited to one or two dimensions. An attempt has been made in the present study to develop, calibrate, and verify a three-dimensional numerical rigid-lid model to predict current and temperature fields in cooling ponds. The study consists of extensive field monitoring, including infrared scanning of surface temperatures, measurement of ground truth temperatures, and in-situ measurements of currents and temperatures. The field data gathered is used to provide initial and boundary conditions for the mathematical model and also to provide data for the calibration and verification of the model.