Predicting Reaeration Coefficients for Polluted Estuary

The objective of this study was to determine if reaeration rate coefficients in polluted estuaries could be predicted from equations that predict these coefficients in natural streams. Many of the currently available equations relating K₂ with the physical and hydrodynamic characteristics of the waterway were listed along with some of the conditions under which they were derived or determined. A review of the effects of wind, temperature, and surface active agents on reaeration was presented. A number of the given equations were applied to the Houston Ship Channel in an attempt to predict K₂. It was found that the predicted K₂ was usually less than 1/100 of the measured K₂ as determined in preliminary measurements. It was concluded that none of these equations are applicable to the upper Houston Ship Channel area.