Near-Field Observations of an Offshore Multiport Brine Diffuser under Various Operating Conditions
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 144, Issue 11
Abstract
A field experiment was conducted at an inclined multiport brine diffuser in an open-coastal embayment for plant operating capacities ranging 33–100%. A three-dimensional array of conductivity and temperature sensors captured high-resolution brine plume dynamics. Ambient velocity and wave characteristics were also measured. Measured localized outfall salinity concentrations did not exceed background levels by more than , whereas deviations from time-averaged ambient salinity ranged from to over the 14-day sampling period. Plume trajectory and dilution were compared with commonly applied laboratory-based empirical methods. Although there was general agreement in time-averaged distributions for the 100% plant operation case, the effects of ambient hydrodynamic processes on plume dynamics were dominant. The results have implications for the application of empirical models in the design, regulation, and management of these outfalls.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the financial support of the National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia, which is funded by the Australian Government through the “Water for the Future Initiative” (Project Code: 08774, Funding Round 4). The authors also acknowledge the support and assistance of Ms. Nikki Cutts of The University of Queensland’s School of Civil Engineering; Dr. Matthew Dunbabin of the Queensland University of Technology’s Science and Engineering Faculty; Mr. Harry Gordon of Seqwater; and Mr. Scott Murphy of Veolia Water Australia for their contributions in the field-monitoring program.
References
Abessi, O., and P. J. W. Roberts. 2014. “Multiport diffusers for dense discharges.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 140 (8): 04014032. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0000882.
Abessi, O., and P. J. W. Roberts. 2015a. “Dense jet discharges in shallow water.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 142 (1): 04015033. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0001057.
Abessi, O., and P. J. W. Roberts. 2015b. “Effect of nozzle orientation on dense jets in stagnant environments.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 141 (8): 06015009. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0001032.
Abessi, O., and P. J. W. Roberts. 2017. “Multiport diffusers for dense discharge in flowing ambient water.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 141 (8): 04017003. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0001279.
Antenucci, J. P., T. Ransome, and M. Ferguson. 2015. “Field validation of a multiport brine diffuser in a coastal environment: Implications for design.” In Vol. 1 of Proc., Australasian Coasts and Ports Conf., 8–11. Auckland, New Zealand: Engineers Australia and Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand.
Arduino. 2018. “Arduino.” Accessed July 9, 2018. https://www.arduino.cc/.
Bas, B., S. N. E. Bozkurtoglu, and S. Kabdasli. 2011. “An experimental study on brine disposal under wave conditions.” In Sustainable maritime transportation and exploitation of sea resources, edited by E. Rizzuto and C. G. Soares, 1063–1067. Leiden, Netherlands: CRC Press.
Boerlage, S., and H. Gordon. 2011. “Assessing diffuser performance and discharge footprint for the gold coast desalination plant.” In Proc., IDA World Congress, IDAWC/PER11-202. Topsfield, MA: International Desalination Association.
Chapra, S. 1997. “Dissolved oxygen and pathogens.” In Surface water-quality modeling, edited by S. Chapra, 361–363. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Choi, K. W., C. C. K. Lai, and J. H. W. Lee. 2016. “Mixing in the intermediate field of dense jets in cross currents.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 142 (1): 04015041. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0001060.
Fernández-Torquemada, Y., J. M. Gónzalez-Correa, A. Loya, L. M. Ferrero, M. Díaz-Valdés, and J. L. Sánchez-Lizaso. 2012. “Dispersion of brine discharge from seawater reverse osmosis desalination plants.” Desalin. Water Treat. 5 (1–3): 137–145. https://doi.org/10.5004/dwt.2009.576.
Fernández-Torquemada, Y., J. L. Sánchez-Lizaso, and J. M. González-Correa. 2005. “Preliminary results of the monitoring of the brine discharge produced by the SWRO desalination plant of Alicante (SE Spain).” Desalination 182 (1–3): 395–402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2005.03.023.
Global Water Intelligence. 2017. “Water desalination report.” In IDA desalination yearbook 2017-2018, 1. Oxford, UK: Media Analytics Ltd.
Lai, C. C. K., and J. H. W. Lee. 2014. “Initial mixing of inclined dense jet in perpendicular crossflow.” Environ. Fluid Mech. 14 (1): 25–49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-013-9290-7.
Lattemann, S., and T. Höpner. 2008. “Environmental impact and impact assessment of seawater desalination.” Desalination 220 (1–3): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2007.03.009.
Lattemann, S., M. D. Kennedy, J. C. Schippers, and G. Amy. 2010. “Global desalination situation.” In Vol. 2 of Sustainable water for the future: Water recycling versus desalination. 1st ed., edited by C. E. Isabel and I. S. Andrea, 7–39. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier.
Marti, C. L., J. P. Antenucci, D. Luketina, P. Okely, and J. Imberger. 2011. “Near field dilution characteristics of a negatively buoyant hypersaline jet generated by a desalination plant.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 137 (1): 57–65. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0000275.
McDougall, T. J., and P. M. Barker. 2011. “Getting started with TEOS-10 and the Gibbs Seawater (GSW) oceanographic toolbox.” Accessed February 11, 2015. http://www.teos-10.org/software.htm.
McLellan, T. N., and R. E. Randall. 1986. “Measurement of brine jet height and dilution.” J. Waterw. Port Coastal Ocean Eng. 112 (2): 200–216. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-950X(1986)112:2(200).
Palomar, P., and I. J. Losada. 2010. “Desalination in Spain: Recent developments and recommendations.” Desalination 255 (1–3): 97–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2010.01.008.
Payo, A., J. M. Cortés, A. Antoranz, and R. Molina. 2012. “Effect of wind and waves on a nearshore brine discharge dilution in the east coast of Spain.” Desalin. Water Treat. 18 (1–3): 71–79. https://doi.org/10.5004/dwt.2010.1335.
Pérez Talavera, J. L., and J. J. Quesada Ruiz. 2001. “Identification of the mixing processes in brine discharges carried out in Barranco del Toro Beach, South of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands).” Desalination 139 (1): 277–286. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0011-9164(01)00320-4.
Roberts, P. J. W., and O. Abessi. 2014. Optimization of desalination diffusers using three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence: Final report. Atlanta: United States Bureau of Reclamation, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology.
Roberts, P. J. W., A. Ferrier, and G. Daviero. 1997. “Mixing in inclined dense jets.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 123 (8): 693–699. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9429(1997)123:8(693).
Roberts, P. J. W., and G. Toms. 1987. “Inclined dense jets in flowing current.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 113 (3): 323–340. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9429(1987)113:3(323).
van der Merwe, R., T. Bleninger, D. Acevedo-Feliz, S. Lattemann, and G. Amy. 2014. “Combining autonomous underwater vehicle missions with velocity and salinity measurements for the evaluation of a submerged offshore SWRO concentrate discharge.” J. Appl. Water Eng. Res. 2 (2): 118–139. https://doi.org/10.1080/23249676.2014.980443.
Viskovich, P. G., H. F. Gordon, and S. J. Walker. 2014. “Busting a salty myth: Long-term monitoring detects limited impacts on benthic infauna after three years of brine discharge.” IDA J. Desalin. Water Reuse 6 (3–4): 134–144. https://doi.org/10.1179/2051645214Y.0000000026.
Wiegel, R. L. 2013. Oceanographical engineering. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc.
Zeitoun, M. A., R. O. Reid, W. F. McHilhenny, and T. M. Mitchell. 1972. Model studies of outfall system for desalination plants. Part III. Numerical simulations and design considerations. Washington, DC: Office of Saline Water.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 144 • Issue 11 • November 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 7, 2018
Accepted: May 7, 2018
Published online: Sep 8, 2018
Published in print: Nov 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Feb 8, 2019
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.