Three-dimensional surface thermal plume

Thermal plumes in water are being investigated mainly in connection with the cooling water discharge from power generating stations into natural water bodies. The scope of most previous studies has been limited however, to time-averaged plume behaviour, and much is yet to be learned about the turbulent structure of thermal plumes. The three-dimensional plume considered here is illustrated in Fig. 1. The thermal discharge occurs at the surface of a relatively deep and quiescent ambient water body of uniform temperature. The thermal discharge mixes with the ambient water and spreads on the free surface. Examining buoyancy and free surface effects on the mean and turbulent plume behaviour is the main objective of this study. The discharge densimetric Froude number varied from 2 to about 8. (author)