Dossier Océan et énergie - Énergie Thermique des Mers

Sommaire IOA News Letters

NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF THE BEHAVIOR OF THE TURBULENT JET DISCHARGED FROM THE OTEC POWER PLANT

by
Ki Cheol Kim, Dong-A University - Korea; and
Haruo Uchara, Saga University - Japan

The behavior of turbulent buoyant jet discharged from the OTEC power plant is analyzed by solving non-dimensional vorticity-streamfunction and diffusion equations.   Non-dimensional parameters such as  Reynolds number, Schmidt number and Froude number which characterize the behavior of jet are obtained.  Several analysis are conduted in which these parameters are varied.

Density currents is formed near the source by the density difference between the jet and the ambient fluid and intrudes into the ambient fluids.  Strong positive vorticity is formed along the line from the source and strong upward motion is observed near the source by buoyancy force according to density difference.  As Schmidt number increase, the motion of the jet along the direction from the source is suppressed.   As the source flex increase, the vorticity is reduced but the isopyonic lines develope more in the vertical direction. As density difference between the jet
and the ambient fluids increase, the stronger vorticity is generated by the baroclinic production of vorticity and this stronger vorticity disturbes the propagation of the jet.