Effects of discharging warm cooling water from a nuclear power station into the Upper Elbe

The permissible discharge of heat to a watercourse is determined by the limiting values of the temperature and degree of warming of river and cooling water. If these limiting values are exceeded the heat transfer to the watercourse must be restricted. This can be achieved by installing a cooling tower or by reducing the output of the power station. The most economic solution from the point of view of the overall undertaking can be achieved by a combination of both methods. Detailed statistical analyses of outflows and of river water temperatures are essential, in order to determine the most favourable variants. The paper reports on such a statistical evaluation using as an example the Upper Elbe and a nuclear power station. (orig.)